Wind Energy

Wind power, Brazil is future world champion

Brazil aspires to become the fourth country in the world in terms of wind turbines installed capacity in 2012 and the sixth global wind energy producer by 2016. This information was reported by the Bloomberg agency, referring to data from the last Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) report. According to the latter, the greatest Latin American economy can achieve wind farm plants totaling a capacity of 2,000 MW in 2012, and its growth would come just behind that of China, United States and India.

All major wind power manufacturers are or on their way: Fuhrländer, Enercon, Impsa, Vestas, Gamesa, Suzlon, Alstom, Goldwind, Sinovel, GE and Siemens.

The crisis that affected other wind energy producing countries, like France and Germany, also reduced government incentives aimed at supporting renewable energy, and these cuts could affect the installation of new wind farms.

According to Bloomberg, Brazil can count, on the one hand, on extremely swift and regular winds, on the other hand on a solid and rapidly growing economy, which can ensure wind turbines growth regardless of external economic support.

In the last few years the development of Brazilian wind energy has been substantial, to the point that this source now costs less than natural gas, although the latter is abundant in this country. 2011 ended with significant investments in this sector, an increased production of wind blades and turbines and a development programme mostly focused on the North-eastern regions.

The main players of Brazil’s wind turbines market include Enel Green Power that, having won the New Energy public tender, will develop three wind farm projects in Brazil, for a total capacity of 193 MW.

EGP’s wind farms will be located in the States of Bahia, Pernambuco and Rio Grande do Norte. They will thus participate in the rush that, according to provisional data from the GWEC, could cause the country to leap from the present 1,500 MW to 9,000 MW of wind turbines capacity by 2016.

Wind energy in Brazil

1997: 3 MW
1998: 17 MW
1999: 19 MW
2000: 22 MW
2001: 24 MW
2002: 22 MW
2003: 24 MW
2004: 24 MW
2005: 29 MW
2006: 237 MW
2007: 247 MW
2008: 339 MW
2009: 606 MW
2010: 931 MW
2011: 1,509 MW

www.enelgreenpower.com