GWEC Market Intelligence today released its latest data related to the North American region. Accordingly, the agency said total wind power capacity in North America is now 136 GW, thus avoiding 250 million tons of CO2 emissions annually in the region.
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GWEC on North America
GWEC Market Intelligence today released its latest data regarding wind power in the North American region. Accordingly, the agency noted that the total wind power capacity in the area is now 136 GW.
As a result, this capacity helps the region avoid 250 million tons of CO2 emissions annually. Thus, the equivalent to taking 1.2 billion passenger cars off the road.
Since 2010, the US’s wind power market tripled in size and nearly quadrupled its share in its electricity mix. “Although we were expecting an installation rush in the US in 2020, this growth is awe-inspiring considering the impacts of COVID-19 on the country’s supply chain and economy,” said Feng Zhao, Head of Market Intelligence and Strategy GWEC.
Furthermore, “the 17 GW of wind power capacity added to the American grid last year is enough to power 5 million American homes. In fact, with clean, sustainable, and reliable energy. Therefore, this is now very important in the US considering the impact of the recent power outages.”
Zhao added that “wind power is an important driver of jobs and investment in the US. Besides, it is a crucial pillar of the Biden administration’s plan to Build Back Better. Currently, wind power supports over 120,000 jobs and has brought in over US$65 billion over the past five years in the US.ioeconomic benefits will amplify once the US offshore wind market takes off. Thus, this could generate an additional US$166 billion in new investment by 2022. Also, it could support 80,000 jobs annually by 2035,” he added.
On Latin America’s side, Ramón Fiestas, Chair of GWEC’s Latin America Task Force added: “the wind power market in Latin America grew sixteen-fold over the past decade. Besides, it is the fastest growing in the region. However, the key challenge is now maintaining this consistent growth in the region’s established wind energy markets; for instance, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, and Chile.
By country
Top 5 Wind Markets in the Americas and Caribbean for Cumulative Capacity
- US – 122,317 MW
- Brazil – 17,750 MW
- Canada – 17,578 MW
- Mexico – 6,789 MW
- Chile – 2,829 MW
Cumulative Wind Power Capacity by Region
- North America – 135,894 MW
- Latin America – 33,906 MW
Moreover, this is to decarbonize the region’s energy system at the pace needed to achieve our Paris Agreement targets. Hence, it will ensure a long-term pipeline and capitalize on the impressive growth momentum in the region”.
“Latin America was one of the region’s hardest-hit economically from the COVID-19 crisis. Also, the fact that it was a record year for wind power despite these impacts is a true testament to the industry’s resilience and its leading role in powering a green recovery. Hence, scaling up wind power in the region will not only create important local jobs and investments. I will also significantly increase the region’s energy security; thus, helping reduce carbon emissions to protect the region against future economic shocks,” he added.
Latin America was one of the region’s hardest-hit economically from the COVID-19 crisis. The fact that it was a record year for wind power despite these impacts is a true testament to the industry’s resilience and its leading role in powering a green recovery. Ramón Fiestas, Chair of GWEC’s Latin America Task Force
