Wind energy sector achieves record growth with 117 GW of new capacity

The installations were located in 54 markets.

Wind power installations increased by 50% year-on-year in 2023 with 117 gigawatts of additional capacity deployed, making it the “best year ever” for the sector.

In a statement, the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) said the additional capacity came from 54 markets that build new wind power.

GWEC CEO Ben Backwell acknowledged that the wind industry is picking up momentum and reaching an annual record but said the growth is “highly concentrated” in a few big markets such as China, the US, Brazil and Germany.

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“[W]e need many more countries to remove barriers and improve market frameworks to scale up wind installations,” Backwell said.

The wind sector needs the support of policymakers to address growth challenges including planning bottlenecks, grid queues, and poorly designed auctions, Backwell said, adding that geopolitical instability will remain for some time.

“These measures that will significantly ramp up project pipelines and delivery, rather than reverting to restrictive trade measures and hostile forms of competition,” he said.