Cape Town - Wind power met more than 20 percent of electricity demand in several countries including Denmark, Portugal and Spain, with the US being singled out as the largest market for wind-power generation.
This is according to the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21) as revealed at the South African International Renewable Energy Conference yesterday.
REN21 says wind energy is the least-cost option for new power generation capacity in an increasing number of areas, with new markers continuing to emerge in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
The global wind power market resumed its advance in 2014, adding a record 51GW – the most of any renewable technology – for a year-end total of 370GW, REN21 says in its Global Status Report on renewables.
“Turbine designs for on and offshore continued to evolve to improve wind’s economics in a wider range of wind regimes and operating conditions,” the report says.
REN21 has estimated that the wind power could create over one million direct and indirect jobs in renewable energy, worldwide.
The International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) said the theoretical potential for wind in Africa exceeds demand by orders of magnitude and about 15 percent of the potential is characterised as a high quality source.
They have identified southern Africa, East Africa and North Africa as areas with high wind quality and have said that South Africa particularly is a country with high wind quality.
There has also been a dramatic increase in wind generations installed between 2013 and 2014, with figures standing at 10 in South Africa by the end of 2013 and the figure jumping massively to 560 in 2014.
Irena also highlighted the use of wind for pumping water.
“The use of wind for off grid applications, and particularly for water pumping in the agriculture sector is widespread in Africa and particularly in southern Africa, where over 300 000 units are in operation,” the report says.
CAPE ARGUS