Wind Power: Impressive Growth Creates Shortages

Worldwatch announces the latest Vital Signs Update on wind power. This snapshot of important wind power data and trends reveals that:

• Global wind power capacity now tops 100,000 megawatts.
• Approximately 200,000 people worldwide are employed by the wind industry.
• More than 70 nations—from Australia to Zimbabwe—now tap the wind to produce electricity.

The United States led the world in new wind energy installations for the third year in a row, and Germany remains the world leader in wind power capacity. But newcomers, such as China, are arriving quickly on the scene: barely three years in the business, China now boasts the fifth-largest installed capacity in the world.

Wind turbine component shortages may pose a challenge in the near future, however: each turbine requires 8,000 parts, and manufacturers often need years to scale-up production.