The overall capacity of all wind turbines installed worldwide by the end of 2018 reached 600 GW, according to Press Release published by WWEA on 25 February 2019. 53’900 Megawatt were added in the year 2018, slightly more than in 2017 when 52’552 Megawatt were installed. All wind turbines installed by end of 2018 can cover close to 6% of the global electricity demand.
The year 2018 was mainly characterised by new dynamics: While most European states showed weak development, including Germany, Spain, France and Italy, robust or even stronger growth was observed in countries such as China, India, Brazil, many other Asian markets and also some African countries.
The by far largest wind power market, China, installed an additional capacity of 25,9 GW and has become the first country with an installed wind power capacity of more than 200 GW. China continues its undisputed position as the world’s wind power leader, with an accumulated wind capacity of 221 GW.
The second largest market, the USA, saw an increase in new capacity from 6,7 GW in 2017 to 7,6 GW in 2018, in spite of less ambitious national climate and energy targets. This positive development is certainly not only a result of the economics of wind power, but also of strong and comprehensive support on the state and municipal level. Soon, the US will be the second country after China reaching an installed capacity of more than 100 GW.
Installed wind capacity in Top 10 countries by the end of 2018 is presented in table below
Installed Capacity in the Top 10 Countries by the End of 2018, MW
Country |
Installed Capacity by the end of 2017, MW |
Installed Capacity by the end of 2018, MW |
China |
195 730 |
221 630 |
USA |
88 775 |
96 363 |
Germany |
56 190 |
59 313 |
India** |
32 879 |
35 017 |
Spain* |
23 026 |
23 031 |
United Kingdom |
17 852 |
20 743 |
France |
13 760 |
15 313 |
Brazil** |
12 763 |
14 490 |
Canada |
12 239 |
12 816 |
Italy* |
9 700 |
10 090 |
Rest of the World* |
83 473 |
91 473 |
Total |
546 388 |
6 00 278 |
*Preliminary data
**By November 2018
Stefan Gsänger, WWEA Secretary General: “The global transformation of the energy system towards renewable energy is on its way, and wind power is a major force in this development, having become a major pillar of power supply throughout the world. Some countries are making very good progress in accelerating wind power deployment rates. Such acceleration is imperative not only to achieve the objectives of the Paris Climate Change agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals, but also for every country to participate in the full socio-economic advantages of renewable energy.
In this sense, it is very unfortunate that Europe seems to lose track in terms of new wind power installations. On the other hand, it is encouraging to see that Europe seems to understand the importance of citizens-based approaches by giving special attention to community power models. Given the increasing importance of power generation also for the transportation and heating/cooling sectors, models supporting self-consumption of renewable energy and empowering citizens and communities should be promoted everywhere around the world. Citizens in industrialised and developing countries alike will tremendously benefit from such political programmes.”