Driven by government incentives and by falling prices of electricity generated by wind turbines, the global wind industry expanded steadily, and dramatically, from 2004 through 2012.  In 2013, however, negative conditions in several key countries, particularly the United States and Spain, were unconducive to the continued growth of the market According to a new report from Navigant Research/BTM Consult, worldwide wind power installations reached 36.13 gigawatts (GW) in 2013 – a 20-percent decline from 2012.

“The market decline in 2013 was not unexpected,” says Feng Zhao, research director with Navigant Research.  “The aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis still continues to weigh heavily – particularly on some of the European markets that underpin the industry. The U.S. market decline, triggered by lack of policy consistency and the delay in renewing the tax credits which have traditionally stimulated investment, was also a major contributing factor for the wind market depression last year.”

Installation of new wind capacity in the U.S. fell by 93 percent, a sizable market decline that dragged down global growth, according to the report.  China regained the title of the world’s largest market in terms of capacity additions, with 16.1 GW of new wind power installed in 2013.  The report forecasts that 250.1 GW of wind power capacity will be added worldwide in the next 5 years, of which 10.4 percent will be offshore.

Navigant Research’s BTM Wind Reportcovers developments in the wind energy sector during 2013.  This is the 19^th edition of the annual World Market Update.  As in previous editions, this report analyzes important changes over the last 3 years and provides a 5-year market forecast, as well as an assessment of likely market progress for the next 5 years.  The special theme of this year’s report is a review of the Global Onshore Wind Operations and Maintenance Market.  An Executive Summary of the report is available for free download on the Navigant Research website.

About Navigant Research

Navigant Research, the dedicated research arm of Navigant, provides market research and benchmarking services for rapidly changing and often highly regulated industries.  In the energy sector, Navigant Research focuses on in-depth analysis and reporting about global clean technology markets.  The team’s research methodology combines supply-side industry analysis, end-user primary research and demand assessment, and deep examination of technology trends to provide a comprehensive view of the Smart Energy, Smart Utilities, Smart Transportation, and Smart Buildings sectors.