Tokyo, Mar 01, 2006 -- BBC Monitoring

 

China topped Japan in generating wind power in 2005, with China's installed wind power capacity increasing 65 per cent from the previous year to 1,260 MW, the Global Wind Energy Council said in a recent report. Japan's capacity came to 1,231 MW in 2005, up 32 per cent from 936 MW the previous year. China's capacity totalled 764 megawatts in 2004.

China, along with the United States, has boosted wind power as it has introduced legislation aimed at promoting the alternative energy source, some experts said. They also said Japan will lag further behind other nations in wind power generation unless it comes up with measures to strongly support the technology. Total wind power capacity worldwide came to 59,322 MW in 2005, up 25 per cent on the year, with Germany having the highest capacity at 18,428 MW, followed by Spain at 10,027 MW and the United States at 9,149 MW, according to the Brussels-based council. Of the 59,322 MW, 11,769 MW were newly added in 2005, up 43.4 per cent from the previous year in terms of annual additions, the council said. A total of 14bn dollars was spent worldwide on new facilities in the reporting year, it said.

Source: Kyodo News Service, Tokyo, in English 0350 gmt 1 Mar 06

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