“uåX˜äŠÊ˜·³Ç

National end-of-year totals for operating wind power megawatts are still very much provisional, but 2005 will beat all previous records for wind plant construction. Our end-of-year Windicator table, to be published in the April issue of “uåX˜äŠÊ˜·³Ç, will reveal an annual increase in excess of 10,000 MW to bring the global total to around 58,000 MW. Europe, host to 72% of the world market, will move past 40,000 MW -- the level reached globally just 18 months ago.

So far the annual global increase for 2005 stands at a little over 9200 MW, not counting 400 MW in the US which may or may not have been completed by December 31, depending on weather conditions. If all 400 MW comes on line, the US will have installed around 2600 MW in the past 12 months, a national record and making it the largest market of the year, though not an all time winner. Germany still holds the annual installation record from 2002 when its market peaked at 3250 MW. In 2005, Germany fell behind Spain, which at close to 1600 MW looks as if it will beat its old rival by 100 MW or so. Both the Spanish and German markets slowed considerably last year, as expected, but while the German decline is set to continue, this year looks like being a good one for Spain. India, which has added over 1200 MW, is the fourth country to have installed more than 1000 MW in 2005.

A second group of countries, all installing a little under 500 MW, is made up of Portugal, Italy, and Britain with France not far behind them. Just four other countries installed more than 100 MW: Australia, Canada, the Netherlands and Norway, though Ireland and Austria only just fell short of the mark and Greece was not far behind them. As annual results from other areas of the world come in, countries like Japan are bound to move into the rankings too.