Obtain the data you need to make the most informed decisions by accessing our extensive portfolio of information, analytics, and expertise. Sign in to the product or service center of your choice.
IHS Markit tracked 62.5 GW of new wind installations in 2019,
22% higher than the year before. While over 90% of this was in
onshore, the offshore sector also remained bullish with annual
installations growing by 45%.
Installations in Asia Pacific, Europe, and North America grew by
15%, 38%, and 42% respectively in 2019, while contracting in other
regions. Nearly 60% of all new installations were in mainland China
and the United States where imminent subsidy expiries have resulted
in a connection rush. These markets are expected to continue
driving global wind growth till 2021, in turn significantly
benefiting turbine suppliers with a strong presence there.
The five largest OEMs remained unchanged in 2019, and further
consolidated their presence by installing nearly 70% of the global
total. While a strong presence in the top two markets guarantees
short term growth for these players, regional diversification and
strong exposure in offshore will be required to cement long term
leadership.
Vestas held on to the top spot leveraging its global footprint,
while SGRE surged to second place on the back of strong offshore
installations. Installations of GE, Goldwind, and Envision were
driven by their home markets, while the ongoing boom in mainland
China also enabled local OEMs including Windey, Shanghai Electric,
and Dongfang Electric to climb the ranks. In contrast, other
regionally focused OEM's like ENERCON and Suzlon saw installations
plummet due to ongoing challenges in Germany and India
respectively.
Despite 2.X MW onshore turbines remaining the most popular in
2019, OEMs have grown the installation share of their medium and
low wind speed turbine models with larger rotor diameters. Onshore
product portfolios have broadened and become more customizable as
suppliers try to minimize levelized cost of electricity (LCOE)
across vastly different wind regimes globally.
In contrast, offshore portfolios remain less complex with OEMs
competing with a "bigger is better" strategy. Although 7.X MW
turbines were the most popular in Europe last year, short term
additions are likely to be dominated by 8.X MW variants, moving up
to 10.X MW+ models in the medium term. Installed offshore turbine
sizes in mainland China continued to play catch-up with Europe and
were mostly in the 3 - 6 MW range. This may change in the future as
multiple local OEMs have announced 10.X MW+ models while GE has
also moved to localize its Halidade-X turbine in the market.
IHS Markit tracks wind turbine installations and vendor market
shares globally and publishes data and key insights in its Global
Wind Installation Overview report on an annual basis. For more
information on recorded orders please visit our
global power and renewables and
clean energy technology sites.
Indrayuth Mukherjee is a senior analyst with the Gas, Power, and
Energy Futures team at IHS Markit.
