Wind energy is developing more rapidly than any other type of alternative energy. This means that the amount of wind turbines in the world is significantly growing. The market growth rate of wind turbines in the world over the past few years is about 25-30%. And although wind power is only about 1% of the total electricity generation in the world, for some countries this percentage is much higher. In particular, the share of wind electricity in Denmark is 39%, Portugal 19%, Spain 16%, Ireland 16%, Germany - 8%. (USDept of Energy, 13). As a result of support of wind energy, provided by the Danish government, every tenth family in Denmark is either a member of the wind cooperative, or the owner of the wind turbine.(Sherman, 66).
In Germany, the interest in wind energy appeared very late. Only in 1989 the German Federal government initiated a program to facilitate the development of wind energy in the country. The implementation of this program led to a surge in wind energy.
Wind power in Japan is also experiencing growth due to the requirement of the state to the companies to increase the share of energy from renewable sources. As a result, the total share of wind energy in Japan grew to 461 MW at the end of 2002 and to more than 1,000 MW in March 2006.
Why does the wind? Advanced technologies of wind energy will lead to lower costs. Additional wind turbines and transmission will help to increase the adoption of these technologies. U.S. Department of energy predicts that if to combine these trends, and wind energy will turn the lights in the homes across the United States by 2050.
In this decade, the wind industry has become the fastest growing energy sector in the United States. Facilities with a total capacity of more than 60 gigawatts were commissioned – enough to power 16 million homes, and the cost of wind energy has fallen by more than 90 percent.Wind turbines currently supply electricity to customers in most of the 50 States, annually producing 4.5 percent of the country's electricity. According to the report from the Ministry of energy on March 12, this share will rise to 10 percent in 2020 and to 35 percent in 2050.
Reference Page
Sharman, Hugh (2005) Why wind power works for Denmark. Civil Engineering.
United States Department of Energy, (2015). A New Era for Wind Power in the United States.
