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Wind Energy

Additionally to its role within the portfolio of energy technologies to mitigate energy-related greenhouse gas emissions, wind power provides additional benefits such as pollution reduction, enhanced security of energy supply and economic growth. The objective of the Wind Roadmap is to identify actions to encourage the rapid, enhanced research, design, development and deployment on wind power, both on land and offshore.

The roadmap has been compiled with inputs from a wide range of stakeholders in the wind industry and the wider power sector, power system operators, research and development (R&D) institutions, finance, and government institutions. Two workshops were held to identify technological and deployment issues.

Key messages (click here for a summary)
  • The Wind Roadmap targets 12% of global electricity from wind power by 2050
  • Achieving these targets will require the investment of some USD 3.2 trillion. 47 GW would need to be installed on average every year for the next 40 years – amounting to a 75% increase on annual investment to USD 81 billion
  • From 2030, non-OECD economies, including in particular China, Latin America and India, will produce some 17% of global wind energy, rising to 57% in 2050
  • Onshore wind technology is proven. Costs per MWh range from USD 70 – 130. Wind power can be competitive where the resource is strong and when the cost of carbon is reflected in markets
  • Costs are expected to decrease further as a result of technology development, deployment and economies of scale – by 23% by 2050. Transitional support is needed to encourage deployment until full competition is achieved
  • To achieve high penetrations of wind power, the flexibility of power systems and the markets they support must be enhanced and, eventually, increased. Flexibility is a function of access to flexible generation, storage, and demand response, and is greatly enhanced by larger, faster power markets, smart grid technology, and the use of forecast models in system scheduling
Key actions in the next ten years include:
  • Set long-term targets (where not extant), supported by predictable market-based mechanisms; set mechanisms for appropriate carbon pricing
  • Plan new transmission to harvest resource-rich areas, and interconnect power systems; appoint lead-agencies to coordinate planning and permitting; set incentives to build transmission; and assess power system flexibility
  • Raise public awareness of the full benefits of wind power (including strategic CO2 emissions reductions, security of supply and economic growth), and of the accompanying need for additional transmission, to increase social acceptance