Africa: Wind Power Surges to New Record

The Global Wind Energy Council released its Annual Market Update today, with a comprehensive snapshot of the global wind industry at the end of 2012, along with a 5-year forecast out to 2017. Although policy uncertainty in the main OECD markets is a cause for concern, strong markets in China, India and Brazil, as well as in new markets in Latin America, Africa and the rest of Asia will drive global growth during the period.

"Wind power may be variable, but the greatest threat to the continued stable growth of the industry is the variability and unpredictability of the politicians who set the frameworks for the energy sector", said Steve Sawyer, GWEC Secretary General. "However, all of the fundamentals which have driven wind power to date are still in place: energy security, price stability, local economic development, climate change mitigation and local air and water pollution issues; and wind is now competitive in an increasing number of markets, despite fossil fuel subsidies which last year amounted to an incentive to emit CO2 of about $110/tonne."

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