© data: REN21; diagram: Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi
Global capacity has risen sevenfold within ten years
There are more and more wind turbines worldwide: installed capacity has risen continuously. Never before has the rise been as rapid as last year: an increase by 51 GW – this is a record figure!
In 2014, Germany's wind power capacity grew by 5.3 GW. We thus ranked second ahead of the United States, which registered a rise of 4.9 GW. China was far in the lead, recording an increase of a total of 23.2 GW. Wind power has also become well-established as a secure energy source for the future in emerging economies: installed capacity rose by 2.5 GW in Brazil and by 2.3 GW in India. Large European states including the UK, France, Italy and Spain lay well behind in terms of growth volumes.
German wind turbine manufacturers are world leaders
Not only is wind power a climate-neutral energy, it is also a sector that is buzzing. As regards wind turbine manufacturers, Germany is the only country with two companies among the top five: with a share of 9.5% in the global market for wind turbines, Siemens ranks second, and at 7.3% Enercon ranks fifth among the largest producers.