2023 saw the highest number of new installations in history for onshore wind (over 100 GW) and second highest for offshore wind (11 GW), according to the Global Wind Report 2024 of the Global Wind Energy Council, GWEC, Report informs.
"In 2023, a record-high 117 GW of new wind power was installed worldwide, representing a 50% hike from the previous year, which reflects the resilience of the industry even as it faced prolonged supply chain and macroeconomic difficulties," says the document.
GWEC notes that the wind energy industry is entering a new era of accelerated growth, driven by increased political ambition, as reflected in the historic decision at COP28 to triple renewable energy by 2030.
With 117 GW of new wind capacity, global wind power capacity surpassed the first 1 TW milestone last year, up 13% from 2022, according to the report.
In the onshore wind market, 106 GW of new capacity was integrated into the grid last year, up 54% year-on-year. This is the first time that more than 100 GW of new onshore wind capacity has been installed globally in one year, the document notes.
At the country level, China and the US remain the world's two largest onshore wind markets, followed by Brazil, Germany and India, according to the Council. Collectively, the top five markets accounted for 82% of global new installations in 2023, a combined 9% increase from the previous year
In the offshore market, 10.8 GW of new wind capacity came online in 2023, raising total global offshore wind capacity to 75.2 GW, up 24% from 2022.
China leads the world in annual offshore wind development for the sixth year in a row, with 6.3 GW commissioned in 2023. This brings the country's total offshore wind capacity to 38 GW, which is 3.7 GW higher than in Europe, the report says.
GWEC calls on policymakers, investors and communities to work together in the key areas of investment, supply chains, system infrastructure and public consensus to create the conditions for wind energy growth to 2030 and beyond.
The wind power industry must roughly triple its capacity from 117 GW to at least 320 GW by 2030 to meet COP28 targets, GWEC notes.
The report features data from 13 countries - Australia, Azerbaijan, Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Japan, Kenya, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, United States - and provides in-depth analysis from GWEC's global team of industry experts.