The wind industry has reached a landmark figure of 1 TW of globally installed capacity.
It has taken more than 40 years to reach the 1 TW milestone; however, with the wind industry continually gaining momentum, the next terawatt will take less than seven years to install, according to data from member organisation the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), which is organising a series of events to mark the achievement.
This capacity milestone pulls into focus the fundamental role wind energy is playing in decarbonising the global power system and helping the world reach its climate and energy goals, the organisation acclaims
According to GWEC’s data, recently completed wind power projects in China, the US, Morocco and Europe have pushed the capacity across the 1 TW threshold as the industry delivers on the ever-growing ambitions of governments around the world.
The spread and diversity of these projects highlights the global reach of modern wind technology, which has developed rapidly in the last 40 years, GWEC outlines.
“This is an enormous moment for the wind industry, but it is also a moment to celebrate for the whole world – this landmark achievement shows the path to a clean energy future is here.
“Renewable energy must be at the centre of our collective drive to net-zero, with wind energy – along with solar photovoltaic and other renewable energy technologies – the foundation on which our new energy system is being built,” says GWEC CEO Ben Backwell.
He emphasises that building to 2 TW by 2030, and eventually to 8 TW by 2050, will require unprecedented collaboration and cooperation across the world, and the creation of a huge and diverse new workforce.
Meanwhile, Corio CEO Jonathan Cole has been appointed the new GWEC chairperson, by a unanimous vote of the council’s board in London this week.
He is said to have played a leading role in the development of the wind industry for well over a decade, including as head of Iberdrola’s offshore wind business, and now with Corio Generation, the global offshore wind developer created by Macquarie Asset Management’s Green Investment Group.
He succeeds Morten Dyrholm, Vestas’ Group senior VP of marketing, communications, sustainability and public affairs, who served as GWEC chairperson since 2016.
Over his career, Cole has overseen a combined pipeline of 60 GW in wind projects across Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Americas.
Having operated across both mature and new markets, in both advanced and emerging economies, he has significant experience engaging with industry, financial institutions, governments, regulators and local communities.