Wind Energy Statistics By Production, Industry Jobs, Operating Capacity, Technology And Facts
Updated · Nov 25, 2024
WHAT WE HAVE ON THIS PAGE
- Introduction
- Editor’s Choice
- Wind Energy Key Facts
- Wind Energy Production
- Offshore Wind Production
- Power Rating Of Offshore Wind Turbines Worldwide
- Winder Energy Industry Jobs
- Leading Wind Power Asset Owners Worldwide By Operating Capacity
- Cumulative Installed Wind Power Capacity
- Wind Technology And Impacts
- Conclusion
Introduction
Wind Energy Statistics: The year 2024 sees wind power installation figures remaining almost at the same level as the previous year, with the contribution of wind energy being still paramount among renewable energy sources and promoting environmental sustainability considerably. In 2024, Wind Energy found its place in the renewable energy field like never before.
Governments, companies, and private individuals have turned their focus on this technology because it is efficient and economical. Towards this, wind energy statistics for 2024 look at the capacity, costs, and development of wind energy.
Editor’s Choice
- According to wind energy statistics, Asia was at the forefront in terms of wind energy generation, with about 869 terawatt-hours in 2022, afterward followed by Europe with 522 TWh and North America with 496 TWh, respectively.
- Wind energy contributed about 7% of the world’s electricity generation in the past few years.
- Despite its being the largest wind power market in the world, China has an installed capacity of more than 400 gravity and intends to construct the biggest onshore wind-up set glass in the Taiwan Strait, exceeding Jiuquan Wind Power Base.
- Commercial offshore wind energy production in 2022 peaked at 161TWh, where China accounted for nearly 64TWh.
- Wind energy statistics reveal that With respect to offshore turbines, Ariel Wright British Airways has advanced quite remarkably, with average power ratings increasing from 9.5 MW in 2020 to 18 MW two years down the line. It is forecasted that the capacity of offshore wind turbines will increase to an average of 25 MW by 2030, which will lead to more energy being produced at a lower cost.
- In 2023, wind power capacity, in terms of MW, reached 1,021 across the world, with onshore wind generating 946 gigawatts.
- Southeast Asia and Latin America’s developing markets are likely to spearhead wind energy growth due to favorable government policies and a supportive investment climate.
- Global wind power employment stood at approximately 1.46 million people in 2023, with over 4% growth compared to the previous year’s number. In terms of ownership of installed wind energy capacity, NextEra Energy takes the lead with 19.2 resulting tots, followed by EDF Renewables with 9.1 gigawatts.
- The majority of horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWT) are available in a plethora of designs that vary from small residential units of 2.5 meters, 1 kW to large offshore designs of 100+ meters, 10+ MW.
- Wind energy statistics show that Most turbines work at an efficiency level of about 50% even though the theoretical efficiency limit is 59% for wind turbines, commonly referred to as the Betz Limit.
- In the United States, onshore turbines have capacity factors ranging from 9% to 53%, with an average capacity factor of 37%.
- On the other hand, wind offshore projects are anticipated to achieve a capacity factor of 60% by the year 2050.
- In 2022, wind power curtailment in the United States remained at a modest 5.3% opportunity cost, which was a significant improvement from the 11.1% opportunity cost of curtailment experienced in 2009.
- The current state-of-the-art offshore wind installation puts limits in the range of 40-50 meters in depth, but the growing floating turbine technology is expected to enable the harnessing of water resources in deeper areas where 58% of the technical wind resources in the US are found.
Wind Energy Key Facts
- In recent years, there has been a notable increase in the capacity of wind energy installations globally, with the global installed capacity of wind power expected to cross one terawatt in 2023, an increase of more than 100 gigawatts from the installed capacity of wind power in 2022.
- China has positioned itself as the country with the highest number of cumulative wind power installations and the most added capacity over the years.
- In 2023, for instance, China added some wind power productive capacity of about 76.7 gigawatts, which is more than three-quarters of the total installed capacity in that year.
- Wind energy statistics indicate that China’s share of the total installed wind power capacity in the world by the end of the year 2023 was almost 50%. Even while China stands first in wind energy generation, some other smaller countries enjoy a higher wind energy generation per capita.
- In 2023, Sweden and Denmark managed to attain 3.3 megawatt-hours of production per head. It is important to highlight that among the top ten countries with per capita wind energy production, all were members of the European Union.
- Denmark had the highest percentage of wind energy on the electricity demand side, reaching above 57%, with Ireland and Spain following at low ratios.
- The price of wind energy has diminished very well over the last ten years, making it more attractive as a source of energy across the world.
- By 2022, the weighted average cost of installed onshore wind was $1,274 kilowatt, which was a nearly 50% decline from the cost reported in the year 2010.
- For offshore wind, the costs declined from $5,217 per KW in the year 2010 to $3,461 per KW in the year 2022.
- Wind energy is one of the sources of energy that will grow at almost the highest rate in the world. Annual wind capacity additions are expected to fall between 117 and 182 gigawatts in the years to come.
- Wind energy statistics estimated that Asia and Europe will dominate the new additional onshore and offshore, respectively, with China expected to give 12 gigawatts of new offshore wind capacity in 2024 only.
Wind Energy Production
(Reference: statista.com)
- In 2022, Asia remained at the pinnacle of wind energy, producing almost 869 terawatt-hours. Europe was the second continent with more than 522 terawatt-hours of wind energy, and North America produced more than 496 terawatt-hours.
- During recent years, wind energy statistics estimated that the share of wind energy to the total energy generated has always been more than 7%.
- Asia has already proven to be the world’s number one region in wind power generation, accounting for more than one-third of wind power generated worldwide.
- There is no doubt that this is greatly attributed to China, which is the most prolific producer and consumer of wind energy on this continent and around the globe.
- China proposes to build what would be the biggest onshore wind farm in the world, with an established and operational base and an installed capacity of 328.5 gigawatts.
- The facility, expected to be constructed in the Taiwan Strait, will exceed the already existing and operational Jiuquan wind power base, the biggest wind energy facility in China, located in the inner Mongolia region.
- Lately, significant developments have been made in wind power capacity additions. By the year 2021, a cumulative fixed installation of wind power capacity amounting to over 800 Gigawatts was reported across the world, with an addition of 93.6 gigawatts within that calendar year.
- Nevertheless, in order to be on course to the target for Net Zero Emissions by fifty years from now, the current annual targets must be greatly elevated with an average 250-gigawatt installation sufficient for each year, which is more than two times the figure for the year 2021.
Offshore Wind Production
(Reference: statista.com)
- The production of offshore wind energy across the globe has witnessed phenomenal developments, hitting the highest peak of more than 161 terawatt-hours in the year 2022.
- This translates to a rather impressive increase of 157 terawatt-hours from the year 2009, typifying the growth in offshore wind power generation and its uptake within ten years.
- Some countries, such as China, have been central to this enhancement, with their contributions significantly impacting the overall picture.
- In 2022, wind power generation from offshore sources only in China was estimated to reach nearly 64 TWh, proving once again that the country is occupying the leading position in the offshore wind energy market.
- This figure epitomizes the country’s policy towards wind energy and its capacity to expand offshore projects in line with energy provision and environmental sustainability.
Power Rating Of Offshore Wind Turbines Worldwide
(Reference: statista.com)
- If we turn the pages of history towards recent years, it’s not hard to point out the fact that wind turbine technology has undergone some transformation revolutionarily consisting of bigger and more efficient turbines.
- Wind energy statistics reveal that In 2022, the average power capacity of an offshore wind turbine, for example, had increased by 100% within 3 years, whereas by 2020, the average capacity stood at 9.5 megawatts and jumped to 18.
- The increase is due to improvements in engineering, materials, and design of the turbines, which facilitates the more efficient collection of wind. And, in the future, the tendency towards even higher power ratings will no doubt persist.
- Forecasts suggest that the mean size of an offshore wind turbine to be in operation by 2030 will be close to 25 Megawatts.
- The increasing size and efficiency of turbines mean that there will be higher energy output per turbine, lowering costs and increasing the potential for wind energy as a renewable resource.
Winder Energy Industry Jobs
(Reference: statista.com)
- Wind energy statistics show that in 2023, the global wind industry employed an estimated 1.46 million workers, representing a growth rate of about 4% concerning the previous year.
- This increase is limited yet indicative of the apparent growth of the market, mainly attributable to increasing investments in wind energy projects, advancement in technologies, and the global shift towards renewable energy.
- The near-constant rise of wind energy in employment over recent years indicates that the sector presents one of the primary solutions to the employment crises witnessed in the renewable energy sector.
- It will also be noted that with the expansion of the sector, particularly in countries with a strong emphasis on defining situations where clean energy transitions are at the core, job opportunities will also grow.
Leading Wind Power Asset Owners Worldwide By Operating Capacity
(Reference: statista.com)
- NextEra Energy is the largest owner of wind energy capacity in the world as of June 2024, boasting 19.2 gigawatts of capacity.
- This indicates the firm’s leadership in a sector especially dominated by wind energy. By contrast, EDF Renewables possessed the world’s second-largest wind operating capacity, at about 9.1 gigawatts.
- This capacity is rather small considering that more than half of this figure is NextEra’s, showing the depth and market power of this particular company.
- These numbers show that the majority of these actors are investing more and doing more in terms of networks to enhance their market competitiveness in the wind energy sector as the urge for renewable energy grows globally.
Cumulative Installed Wind Power Capacity
(Reference: statista.com)
- Wind energy statistics indicate that as of 2023, the total installed wind power capacity worldwide was approximately 1,021 gigawatts, with the largest share – about 946 gigawatts –accounted for by land-based wind power.
- China holds the title of the largest wind power market in the world, with an installed capacity surpassing 400 gigawatts. Its geographical features, particularly the vast land mass and long coastlines, offer the country a lot of wind energy.
- More recently, China has successfully developed offshore wind projects to a sizeable extent owing to the country’s great ambitions to grow its offshore wind energy resources.
- Other emerging countries, such as those found in the Southeast Asian and Latin American regions, are expected to contribute significantly towards the acceleration of the growth of wind energy development.
- There are expectations that government support investments and the introduction of better policies will facilitate these developments in these markets.
- Renewable energy technologies are attaining more affordability and are contributing to an increase in the ‘Other Renewables’ proportion in electricity generation across regions.
Wind Technology And Impacts
- Turbines in a horizontal axis configuration (HAWT) are the most preferred turbine design. These turbines comprise blades (typically three) that are evenly spaced around a hub that is attached to a shaft that connects to a gearbox and generator fixed in a nacelle located at the top of the tower. The variations of horizontal axis wind turbines can be both small, with a diameter of 2.5 meters and consuming 1 kW for household use, and very large offshore designs that stand above 100 meters and produce around more than 10 MW power.
- Wind energy statistics reveal that Theoretical calculations suggest that the maximum efficiency achievable by a wind turbine is about 59%, also known as the Betz Limit. However, this is hardly ever achieved as most turbines use about 50% of the wind that goes through their rotor area.
- For instance, the capacity factor, which expresses a ratio of a turbine’s average power output divided by the turbine’s rated (maximum) power output, is 9% to 53%, with an average of 37% for onshore turbines in the US.
- In the United States of America, wind power curtailment was 5.3% on average in 2022, which was a decline from the highest-ever wind power curtailment of 11.1% in 2009 but still higher than the 2.1 that was reported in 2016.
- Offshore winds are mainly strong compared with land, which makes the capacity factor high. It is expected that the capacity factor for new offshore capacity projects by 2050 will be as high as 60% or more.
- However, offshore wind capacity has higher installation and operating costs associated with it.
- Nowadays, offshore turbines are installed to a maximum water depth of about 40-50 meters.
- The technological advancement in floating offshore wind capacity installation can alter the landscape of wind generation since 58% of US technical wind resources are found in water bodies that are above 60m.
Conclusion
In the year 2024, wind energy statistics have established itself as one of the pillars of the energy transition. Due to all these changing factors, lower prices, larger installations, and increased capacity, it has continued to be one of the main trends in the clean energy transition. The situation in the industry is also optimistic, and more funds and creativity are being enforced to pave the way for green energy.
FAQ.
Asia ranked first in the production of wind energy, followed by Asia at 869 TWh and Europe and North America at 522 TWh. Over 20% of the world’s wind-generated power is produced by China, which is also the world wind energy generator.
There have been great improvements in the wind turbine technology, especially with the offshore turbines. By 2022, the mean of the offshore wind turbines’ power rating increased significantly from the 9.5 MW installed in 2020 to 18 MW, with projections pointing to an average of 25 MW by the year 2030. These innovations lead to an increase in energy production while also lessening the costs.
In the same breath, China commands the highest share of the annual wind capacity installed globally, boasting an excess of 400 GW of installed capacity. Also interesting are the countries like Denmark that have supplies of wind energy, which accounts for more than 57% of its electricity. Sweden and Denmark are outstanding countries that also rank highly in wind energy generation per capita.
The last decade saw a drastic reduction in the cost of wind energy. The cost of installed onshore wind capacity went down by nearly 50% in the years between 2010 and 2022, which translates to the costs dropping from $2,547 per kW to $1,274 per kW, while offshore wind costs also went down from $5,217 per kW in the year 2010 to $3,461 per kW in the year 2022.
In the year 2023, there were approximately 1.46 million individuals working in the wind energy industry around the world, which reflects annual growth of 4% compared to the previous year. The wind energy concern is still in developing stage due to investment in wind energy projects in addition to the quest for renewable energy sources.
Maitrayee, after completing her graduation in Electrical Engineering, transitioned into the world of writing following a series of technical roles. She specializes in technology and Artificial Intelligence, bringing her experience as an Academic Research Analyst and Freelance Writer, with a focus on education and healthcare under the Australian system. From an early age, writing and painting have been her passions, leading her to pursue a full-time career in writing. In addition to her professional endeavors, Maitrayee also manages a YouTube channel dedicated to cooking.
