India & China Lead as Asia-Pacific Installs 24.9 GW of New Onshore Wind Capacity in 2018

Total installed onshore wind capacity in Asia-Pacific is now 256 GW, leading countries in the region for onshore installations in 2018 were China (21.2 GW) and India (2.2 GW).

The latest data released by the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), a member-based organisation that represents the entire wind energy sector, shows that Asia-Pacific installed 24.9 GW capacity of onshore wind power in 2018, an increase of 4.2% compared to 2017.

The preview data from GWEC’s Global Wind Report forecasts that a further 145 GW of onshore wind capacity will be added by 2023 – this would mean that total installed onshore capacity will reach over 400 GW in the region.

Top three onshore wind markets in Asia-Pacific in 2018:

China – 21.2 GW (preliminary)

India – 2.2 GW

Australia – 0.549 GW

China installed the most onshore wind capacity during 2018 in Asia-Pacific and globally. GWEC expects China to remain the largest onshore market in the future. However, other markets are developing and with auctions progressing in India, new onshore wind capacity installations could exceed 5 GW annually in India.

Ben Backwell, CEO of GWEC, said, “Asia-Pacific is the leading growth market for the global wind industry. Aside from the largest markets in China, India, and Australia, GWEC expects positive developments in South-East Asia with onshore wind representing a cost-competitive choice for markets with growing energy demand.”

Karin Ohlenforst, Director of Market Intelligence at GWEC, said, “Wind markets in South-East Asia offer an opportunity for growth if policy commitments focus on the competitiveness and efficiency that wind energy can offer. More mature Asian markets like Japan and South Korea will continue to install new onshore capacity growing the onshore market in Asia.”

GWEC, together with key industry stakeholders, is working to increase policy momentum and to increase the understanding of the competitiveness of wind energy compared to coal in developing markets such as Vietnam, Taiwan, and the Philippines. Growth in renewables is a priority across Asia-Pacific in a bid to decarbonise whilst satisfying rising energy demand.