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AsiaElec COMMENTARY AsiaElec
Global wind turbine supply reaches record levels
Vestas, Siemens Gamesa emerge as the world’s leading turbine manufacturers, as the industry posts record installations in 2019, write Richard Lockhart
GLOBAL
WHAT:
63GW of wind turbines were installed globally in 2019
WHY:
Average turbine size grew to a record level of 2.75MW
WHAT NEXT:
Much depends on how governments support wind as they recover from COVID-19
OVER 63 GW of wind turbines were installed globally in 2019, a new supply record, of which 6.1 GW were offshore
Vestas led the turbine supply industry with 18% of the market, edging out Siemens Gamesa and Goldwind.
Meanwhile, the size of turbines continues to grow as technology advances, with the aver- age rated capacity for new turbines installed in 2019 surpassing 2.75 MW, a 72% or 1.156-MW increase on 2009, according to the Global Wind Energy Council’s Supply Side Analysis 2019 report.
A total of 33 turbine manufacturers supplied 22,892 turbines in 2019, although the number of manufacturers dipped from 37 in 2018.
The study was based on supply figures for the total capacity of wind turbines delivered and installed in 2019, using information from the manufacturers themselves.
Market leaders
Indeed, as the number of manufacturers fell, the six largest collectively increased their market share from 70% in 2018 to 72% in 2019, sug- gesting a move towards consolidation in the industry.
Vestas led the market with an 18% share, as it
installed turbines in 40 countries, while Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy was second with 15.7%, doubling its offshore wind installation in the process.
China’s Goldwind was third with 13.2%, as its installations rose by 19% thanks to an installa- tion rush in the Chinese market.
Fourth and fifth were GE Renewable Energy (11.6%) and China’s Envision (8.6%), while sixth was China’s Mingyang (5.7%).
In the offshore sector, 10 suppliers dominated 99.9% of the market, with Siemens Gamesa tak- ing 39.8%. The most notable performer was off- shore-focused MHI Vestas, which was second with 15.7%, pushing it into the top 15 for the wind sector overall, demonstrating the emerg- ing role played by the offshore market segment.
As turbine sizes grew to an average of 2.75 MW globally, leading markets such as the UK and Denmark saw average turbine capacity breach the 5-MW mark for the first time, as larger turbines can now be installed.
Into 2020
While these figures refer to 2019, the GWEC expects major changes in 2020 as the wind sector adapts to the challenges of coronavirus (COVID-19).
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w w w . N E W S B A S E . c o m Week 21 27•May•2020