Global share of wind energy capacity by key country 2015
Wind energy – additional information
The term wind energy or wind power describes the process of using wind to generate mechanical power or electricity. Electricity from wind turbines is fed into a utility grid and distributed to customers. Wind power is a technology based on renewable resources that has minimal undesired environmental impacts like those from fossil fuels or nuclear energy. Alternative fuels are considered to be clean sources as they produce significantly less greenhouse gas emissions during their operations. Energy produced from wind generates no direct greenhouse gas and is therefore, considered an environmentally friendly alternative. Other well-known alternative fuels include biomass, solar electricity or hydropower.
Wind power is currently considered one of the fastest growing sources of electricity production in the world. The newly installed wind power capacity throughout the world reached approximately 63 gigawatts in 2015. The wind power industry is basically comprised of two segments: onshore and offshore wind power. Land- based wind energy is currently one of the most affordable renewable energy sources worldwide. According to the Citigroup holding company, onshore wind installations are expected to reach approximately 60 gigawatts around the world by 2020. Compared to land-based wind energy, offshore wind energy refers to the energy generated by wind turbines deployed in the ocean. Globally, new offshore wind capacity installations totaled 1,589 megawatts in 2014. Despite the environmental benefits from wind power energy generations, wind turbines have been criticized for their appearance as they tend to be more spread out and impact a large area.