Wind turbine makers mechanically installed 104.7 GW in 2021 - GWEC
SeeNews Renewables
May 23 (Renewables Now) - The world mechanically installed a record 104.7 GW of wind power capacity in 2021, with 30 wind turbine manufacturers delivering turbines, down from 35 in 2020 in a sign of further market consolidation, according to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC). Turbine manufacturers achieved record installations despite challenges from the pandemic, commodity price rises and logistical disruptions, but at the same time they are experiencing worsening financial results amid intense price competition, higher costs and hindrance to faster wind deployments. GWEC chief executive Ben Backwell called for tackling barriers to deployment and investment as the rate of wind additions is estimated to need to reach 390 GW by 2030 to be in line with keeping warming to 1.5 degrees C. "As the UN Secretary General pointed out, governments need to urgently take action to kick start a much faster transition to renewables and remove barriers to deployment and investment, including cutting red tape and bureaucracy, fast-tracking grid investments and ensuring that markets adequately remunerate green energy instead of subsidising fossil fuels," said Backwell. GWEC’s supply side data 2021, released last week, follows the release of its report on grid-connected capacity. The data showed that Denmark’s Vestas Wind Systems A/S (CPH:VWS) remained the number one turbine supplier, accounting for 17.7% of the market, after a record year. It was followed by Chinese company Xinjiang Goldwind Science & Technology Co Ltd (HKG:2208) with 11.8% of installations. Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy SA (BME:SGRE) also had a record year, capturing 9.7% of the market and moving up two positions to third place. Next come China’s Envision with 8.65% and GE Renewable Energy with 8.55%. “Out of the global top 15 wind turbine suppliers in 2021, ten come from China, but only two Chinese make the top 5, a repeat of last year’s Top 15,” said Feng Zhao, Head of Strategy and Market Intelligence of GWEC. The offshore wind chart was dominated by Chinese suppliers on the back of an offshore wind rush in China ahead of a feed-in tariff cut-off. As a result, Siemens Gamesa and Vestas were for the first time displaced from the top three. Offshore installations totalled more than 19.4 GW and were led by Sewind with a 21.63% share, Mingyang with 19.46% and Goldwind with 13.3%.