Feb 15 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Kyodo News International, Tokyo

Global wind power capacity that was newly installed in 2007 totaled 20,000 megawatts, an amount equivalent to capacity generated by 15 large-scale nuclear power plants, but Japan lags behind in the field, a recent report compiled by an industry group shows.

The year's newly installed wind power in Japan, meanwhile, came to 139 megawatts, only one-38th of the U.S. figure, a result underlining Japan's slow progress in wind power development. Japan stood at 14th in the ranking in terms of the yearly growth, according to the Brussels-based Global Wind Energy Council.

The worldwide figure represents growth of 27 percent from the previous year, bringing overall wind power generating capacity to 94,112 megawatts at the end of 2007, the council said in the report.

"Globally, wind energy has become a mainstream energy source and an important player in the world's energy markets, and it now contributes to the energy mix in more than 70 countries across the globe," said the council's Secretary General Steve Sawyer.

The countries largely contributing to the increase in 2007 were the United States, Spain and China, the report said, with the United States installing the most with 5,244 megawatts.

"The results made it clear that Japan is unsuccessful in its energy policy," said Tetsunari Iida, head of the Tokyo-based Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies. "Japan is obliging utilities to implement certain quotas of new energy sources, but the targeted quotas are too low." As for overall wind power generating capacity as of the end of 2007, Germany topped the list with 22,247 megawatts, followed by the United States with 16,818 megawatts and Spain with 15,145 megawatts.

Japan's total amounted to 1,538 megawatts.

According to the council, the global market related to wind power development was valued at $36 billion in 2007.