New figures provided by Navigant Research have seen Chinese wind turbine manufacturer Goldwind edge out Vestas as the world’s leading wind turbine supplier.
In its new World Wind Energy Market Update 2016, Navigant Research found that the recent “revival of the US and German markets” was responsible for “a significant shake-up in the rankings of the world’s top wind turbine suppliers in 2015.” Specifically, China’s Goldwind edged out long-time leader, Danish wind turbine manufacturer Vestas.
Top 10 Wind Turbine Suppliers Market Share, World Markets: 2015
Vestas had a record year, with orders worth nearly 9 GW helping the company to impressive yearly figures. However, Goldwind, based out of China, and supplying primarily to China, benefited significantly from China’s massive wind turbine figures in 2015. 98% of Goldwind’s installations were located in the Chinese market, which installed 30.2 GW in 2015.
The two companies have been fighting it out for top spot in recent analyst reports. In February, Bloomberg New Energy Finance reported that Goldwind had unseated Vestas in 2015 for onshore wind turbine manufacturers. Towards the end of March, MAKE Consulting revealed that Vestas and Goldwind had reclaimed the top two positions, respectively, as the world’s leading wind turbine original equipment manufacturers.
GE Energy held onto its third spot “backed by strength in its domestic market in the United States and Brazil, as well as increasing installations in Europe.”
“Most wind turbine suppliers rode a record wave of wind capacity installation globally,” said Jesse Broehl, senior research analyst with Navigant Research. “This is especially true for the Chinese suppliers that represented 48 percent of 2015 capacity additions.”
Overall, according to Navigant’s report, 2015 represented a banner year for the global wind industry, showing “just how much the wind power industry has grown over the past few years” and illustrating “how firmly wind energy is entrenched as part of the broader worldwide energy system.” In 2015, Navigant found 63 GW of wind capacity was added, a 23.2% increase over 2014, with cumulative global wind power capacity growing to 434 GW.
Growth was seen in nearly every wind market. The Americas installed 14.5 GW in 2015, representing 23% of the global total, overtaking Europe by a single percentage point. China led the way, again, with 48% of the global total, followed by the United States.
