What Country Is #1 In Wind Power Generation?
Wind power generation has experienced rapid growth around the world in recent years. Global capacity increased by 53% between 2014 and 2019, led by expansions in China and the United States (IEA). Total worldwide wind power capacity reached 651 gigawatts (GW) in 2019, generating over 1.1% of global electricity consumption (EIA). However, growth has not been evenly distributed. This article examines the global wind power landscape, identifying the countries that generate the most wind power and analyzing the factors driving growth.
Measuring Wind Power Generation
Wind power generation is typically measured in two main ways – total installed capacity and annual energy output. Total installed capacity refers to the maximum potential power output of all the wind turbines in an area if they were operating at full capacity. This is measured in megawatts (MW) or gigawatts (GW). Annual energy output measures the actual electrical energy generated by the wind turbines over a year, and is measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh) or megawatt-hours (MWh).
The power output of an individual wind turbine is calculated using the formula: Power (W) = Voltage (V) x Current (A) [1]. The energy produced over time is calculated by multiplying the power output by the time. So the annual energy production of a wind farm can be calculated by summing the energy production of each turbine over the year [2].
Factors like wind speed, turbine size, efficiency, and availability influence the actual power output and annual energy generation of a wind project. Therefore, wind power capacity alone does not reflect how much energy is actually produced.
Top Wind Power Countries
According to data from 2022, the top wind power generating countries in terms of total installed capacity are:
- China – 356 GW of wind power capacity (Source)
- United States – 134 GW
- Germany – 61 GW
- India – 40 GW
- Spain – 27 GW
The top 5 countries account for over 70% of global installed wind power capacity. China is by far the leader, with more than double the wind power capacity of the second-ranked United States. Factors driving growth in the top countries include favorable government policies, declining costs, and ideal wind conditions in certain regions.
China’s Rise in Wind Power
China has seen rapid growth in wind power generation over the past decade, becoming the global leader in total wind power capacity. According to data from Global Energy Monitor (GEM), China’s total wind farm operational capacity reached 278,353 megawatts (MW) as of January 2023 (1). This is over triple the wind power capacity China had in 2014.
China produced around 656.7 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity from wind energy in 2021, the peak over the 2009-2021 period according to Statista (2). This represents over a 25-fold increase from the 25.8 GWh generated in 2009.
Several factors have driven the rapid growth in China’s wind power capacity and generation, which will be explored in the next section. China now leads the world in wind power output, accounting for over 30% of total global wind power generation.
China’s Total Wind Power Capacity
According to Wind power in China – Wikipedia, China had a total installed wind power capacity of 329 GW by the end of 2021. This makes China the global leader in total installed wind power capacity, with over one-third of the world’s wind power installations.
The Guide to Chinese Climate Policy reports that around 48 GW of new wind power capacity was added to China’s grid in 2021. This brought the total to 329 GW by the end of the year, including 26 GW of offshore wind capacity.
China has seen massive growth in wind power installations over the past decade. In 2011, China had only 62 GW of total installed wind capacity. The 10-fold increase over the past decade has been driven by supportive government policies, declining costs, and heavy investment by major Chinese renewable energy companies.
China’s Wind Power Output
According to Statista, China produced roughly 656.7 gigawatt hours of electricity from wind energy in 2021. This was the peak from the period in consideration and marked a 50% increase from 2021 levels when wind power generation was 437.5 TWh.[1] In 2022, China’s wind power generation increased to 564 TWh, representing 9% of the country’s total electricity production that year.[2] The growth in wind power output reflects China’s major investments in wind energy infrastructure over the past decade.
According to Global Energy Monitor data cited by Reuters, China’s total wind farm operational capacity reached 278,353 megawatts as of January 2023, accounting for over one-third of global wind power capacity.[2] With this massive capacity expansion, wind power is playing an increasingly important role in China’s renewable energy transition and carbon emission reduction goals.
Factors Behind China’s Wind Power Growth
China’s rapid growth in wind power capacity and generation has been driven by several key factors. According to a 2018 study published in IOPScience (https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/aaadeb), government policies have played a major role. Since 2005, China has implemented a series of policies, regulations, and market mechanisms to incentivize wind power development. This includes renewable portfolio standards, feed-in tariffs, tax incentives, and preferential loans.
Another key driver has been heavy investments and construction of new wind farms, especially in northern and western regions which have the best wind resources. According to the Atlantic Council (https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/energysource/chinas-wind-industrial-policy-succeeded-but-at-what-cost/), China invested $120 billion in new wind power capacity between 2008-2020. The government made wind power a strategic priority and provided low-interest loans through state banks.
China’s geography also provides advantages for wind power development. Northern, western, and coastal regions have excellent wind speeds for generating energy. According to Happy Eco News (https://happyeconews.com/china-wind-power-surges-ahead/), these regions are also relatively unpopulated, providing open spaces to build large-scale wind farms. Additionally, proximity to coastal load centers allows connecting wind power capacity to areas of high energy demand.
Challenges Facing China’s Wind Power
Despite China’s rapid growth in wind power capacity and generation, the country still faces some significant challenges in fully realizing the potential of wind energy. Two major challenges include grid connectivity and curtailment issues.
Connecting new wind power projects to the electrical grid can be difficult in China. The best wind resources are often located in remote, underdeveloped regions far from population centers. This makes transmitting the electricity generated from new wind farms challenging (Carleton University). Upgrading and expanding transmission infrastructure to accommodate new wind capacity takes time and investment.
Curtailment refers to the practice of grid operators cutting or restricting the output of wind farms. This occurs when there is insufficient transmission capacity or insufficient local electricity demand (Peking University). Curtailment leads to wasted renewable energy generation and reduced revenues for wind farm operators. High curtailment rates have been a major issue for some of China’s wind-rich northern provinces.
Overcoming grid and curtailment challenges will be key for China to continue expanding its wind power capacity and fully harnessing its massive wind energy potential.
Outlook for China’s Wind Power
China is expected to continue rapid growth in wind power capacity in the coming years. According to a forecast from the China Renewable Energy Outlook 2022, China’s installed wind capacity will reach over 800 GW by 2030. This would represent an increase of over 300% from 2021 levels.
A key driver of future growth is China’s commitment to reducing fossil fuel dependence and carbon emissions. The country has set a target for wind and solar to account for over 50% of total electricity generation by 2030. To meet this goal, analysts project China will need to install at least 70 GW of new wind capacity per year through 2030.
China also aims to produce over 50% of its electricity from non-fossil fuel sources by 2060. The government’s latest 5 year plan sets a target for China to have 565 GW of wind capacity by 2025. If achieved, this would make China home to nearly half the world’s installed wind power by the mid 2020s.
While outlook is positive, China faces challenges in integrating higher shares of variable wind power into the grid. Constraints around transmission infrastructure and system flexibility will need to be addressed. But with strong policy support and sustained investments, China is expected to remain the undisputed leader in wind power this decade and beyond.
Sources:
https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/china-wind-energy-market
https://www.statista.com/outlook/io/energy/renewable-energy/wind-energy/china
Conclusion
China has emerged as the dominant leader in wind power generation worldwide. The country has seen massive growth in wind power capacity over the past decade, with total installed capacity reaching over 350 GW by 2022. This accounts for over a third of the global wind power capacity. In terms of actual electricity output from wind, China generated over 695 TWh in 2021, far exceeding any other country.
Several factors have driven China’s rapid adoption of wind power. Government policies and incentives that promote renewable energy development have been crucial. China’s massive land area, with abundant wind resources, provides ideal conditions for wind farm development. Additionally, China’s manufacturing capabilities have enabled the rapid scaling up of wind turbine installations.
While China faces challenges of grid integration and transmission with its wind power growth, the country is projected to continue expanding its wind capacity. With the world’s largest market and domestic supply chain for wind power, China is expected to maintain its position as the undisputed leader of wind power generation globally.
