It is a landmark day for the global renewable energy industry as wind power crosses the 500GW mark of installed capacity.
Today is also Global Wind Day and the perfect occasion to celebrate a sector that employs around 1.2 million people and is a key contributor to accelerating the shift to a sustainable energy future. In Europe, it is the number one source of new power generation and across the continent it attracted record-breaking levels of investment in 2016.
“We are on the road to a sustainable energy future. Wind and other renewables are already winning on the economics alone, but we need it to happen faster if we are to have a reasonable chance of meeting the Paris climate targets,”said Steve Sawyer, Secretary General of the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC).
In 30 countries last year, unsubsidised new renewable energy cost less than fossil fuels, that will be true in the majority of countries within eight years.
Giles Dickson, CEO of WindEurope, added: “Reaching 500 GW globally is a landmark. Wind is now a core mainstream part of electricity systems in advanced economies.”
