The 90's was the decade of German dominance in wind. The 2000's saw the
emergence of America as a leader in installations. And as the new decade
unfolds, the balance of power is shifting to China.
With demand for power down, natural gas prices low and project financing still tight, it's no surprise that the U.S. wind market declined in 2010. The official numbers aren't out yet, but it looks like 5 gigawatts (GW) were installed in the country last year. That's half of what was installed in 2009.
Globally, however, the wind industry grew – kept strong by a booming Chinese market that put around 16 GW of installed capacity in the ground. According to the secretary general of the Chinese Wind Energy Association, the country will surpass 40 GW of total installed capacity, edging out the U.S., which has lead the world in capacity and generation since 2008. (Industry experts expect the American market will be just shy of 40 GW).
“The center of the wind universe is moving from North America and Europe to Asia,” says Steve Sawyer, secretary general of the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC).
Although some Chinese companies will eventually be big players on the international stage, they will have challenges to overcome. Many manufacturers are still very new; it will take time to prove they can compete with the quality of established heavyweights.