Installed wind power capacity could grow 530% to reach 2,000GW by 2030, supplying 17-19% of global electricity, according to a report published in 2014 edition of the Global Wind Energy Outlook by Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) and Greenpeace International.
By 2050, the capacity can swell up to supply 25-30% of global electricity, the report reveals.
In 2013, the total wind energy capacity was at 318GW, which is likely to increase by another 45GW in 2014.
Beside the capacity increase, the industry is also expected to open up 2 million new job opportunities worldwide and reduce more than 3 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions annually by 2030.
The report tries to weigh up the future performance of the global wind industry in terms of electricity supply, CO2 emission savings, employment, cost reductions, and investments, over three phases up to 2020, 2030 and 2050.
GWEC CEO Steve Sawyer said: “Wind power has become the least cost option when adding new capacity to the grid in an increasing number of markets, and prices continue to fall.
“Given the urgency to cut down CO2 emissions and continued reliance on imported fossil fuels, wind power’s pivotal role in the world’s future energy supply is assured.”
Greenpeace senior energy expert Sven Teske said: “By 2020, wind power could prevent more than 1 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide from being emitted each year by dirty energy – equivalent to the emissions of Germany and Italy combined.
“Policymakers need to provide economic incentives, and also leadership if they are to achieve a credible international climate agreement at next year’s Summit in Paris.”
