Brazil, US, Mexico are top wind energy producers in Americas
Brazil, the US, and Mexico stand out as the world’s leaders in production of wind energy in the Americas, as per figures recently released by the Global Wind Energy Council, GWEC. Altogether, North, Central, and South Americas account for a fourth of the world’s total installed capacity of this type of energy in 2018.
The total installed capacity of wind energy in the Americas now totals 135 GW—up 12 percent from 2017, according to GWEC. The demand for this type of energy in the region is expected to continue, and the organization predicts another 60 GW in new wind capacities from 2019 to 2023.
Brussels-based GWEC is an agency that represents the global wind energy sector, and encompasses over 1.5 thousand companies and organizations in over 80 countries—including manufacturers, research institutes, national wind energy associations, energy suppliers, and financial and insurance firms.
In Brazil
The leader for wind energy in South America, Brazil added 2 GW to its wind capacity in 2018 and auctioned this kind of energy at globally competitive prices—$20 per Mwh—as disclosed by GWEC.
The information has been confirmed by Reive Barros, secretary for Energy Planning and Development with Brazil’s Ministry of Mines and Energy, who said Brazil boasts an intalled capacity for wind energy production of 14.7 GW. “This represents some eight percent in the country’s energy grid. The goal is to bring this percentage up to 13 percent in ten years’ time,” he declared.
The secretary said that the Northeast accounts for 85 percent of Brazil’s output, with the states of Piauí, Rio Grande do Norte, and Bahia as the highest ranking ones, respectively. “In the long run, however, Bahia is likely to reach the top, as a result of the magnitude of its territory and its potential,” he argued.
In 2019, two auctions for the implementation of wind farms in Brazil are expected to take place, Barros said—one in the first half-year, to be implemented over the course of four years, and another later in the year, with implementation within six years. “Our goal for wind energy in Brazil is to rise 2.2 percent a year,” he reported.
In the Americas
The latest data released by GWEC show that the installed capacity for wind energy in all three Americas stood at 11.9 GW in 2018, up 12 percent from 2017. North America (Canada and the US) saw an increase of 10.8 percent in its added capacity compared to 2017. As for Latin America, the addition of capacities rose by 18.7 percent against 2017.
According to GWEC, Latin America’s commitment with the auctions continued to boost development in the sector. The region is expected to keep growing in the wind energy field in 2019 and showing an expansion in its supply chains.
“The development of the wind energy market in Latin America seems promising. Brazil once again held large-scale auctions and we the first auction in Colombia takes place this February. Other investments in the supply chain from leading equipment manufacturers in Argentina prove the potential of the market in the long run,” Ben GWEC CEO Backwell argued.
Due to its ecology-oriented style, wind energy generation helps countries meet the goals set in international climate deals. The growth of this kind of energy is key to reducing gas emissions, bolstering energy security, lowering costs, and increasing the investment in local economies.
In the view of Karin Ohlenforts, GWEC director for Market Intelligence, “the growth in wind energy in South America in particular shows how competitive this source of energy is in auction markets.”
