Wind Energy: Status and Trends

Installed wind energy capacity has been increasing rapidly worldwide over the last 5 years and now exceeds 70 GW. Wind energy contributes up to 18.5% of electricity consumption in Denmark and about 3% in Europe. Wind energy is economically competitive at good wind sites, can be rapidly deployed compared to conventional sources and contributes to the goal of meeting increasing electricity demand while reducing emissions of greenhouse gases. This article discusses current wind energy technology and how it is being deployed, particularly in Europe. There are many factors involved in both the cost and the price of wind energy that are explained in brief. The status of wind energy in Europe, around the world and offshore are listed. Finally, some selected research areas such as wind speed profiles, climatic variations and wind turbine wakes are outlined, together with barriers to wind energy development.