Wind
A crucial source of clean power, wind turbines generated 7.6% of the world’s electricity in 2022, more than double the share in 2015 (3.5%).
Share of wind in global electricity (%)
Overview
Wind's growth trajectory puts it at the forefront of the clean energy transition
Global wind powered electricity had the largest absolute increase compared to other sources in 2022. Wind rose by 17% (+312 TWh), from 1,848 TWh in 2021 to 2,160 TWh in 2022.
China is the biggest generator of wind power at 824 TWh, (9.3% of its electricity mix), while Denmark has the highest wind generation by percentage share at 55% (19 TWh). Germany has both the third highest generation of any country (126 TWh) and the sixth highest share in the mix at 22%.
Ember’s latest Global Electricity Review revealed that almost all Middle Eastern and African countries are not yet harnessing wind power; only 1% of the global wind generation rise since 2015 was in African countries and 0.1% in Middle Eastern countries.
Last updated: April 2023
The world's biggest wind generators
Ember position
Wind will be the backbone of the future electricity system, alongside solar power
From a standing start, offshore and onshore wind are growing to become the backbone of global electricity grids. In the IEA scenario which stays below the crucial 1.5C temperature limit, wind and solar will need to make up 40% of global electricity by 2030. In 2022, they reached 12% of global electricity generation.
Decades ago, wind was expensive and required a large government subsidy. Those days are now long past, with new wind cheaper than existing fossil fuels in most countries.
Advances in the size of wind turbines have reduced fears around variability, as large turbines out at sea give a much more steady supply. Initial concerns around land use are being tackled as floating offshore wind begins to deploy, situated far from human eyes.
Wind, like solar, can be deployed very quickly, and so will make up the bulk of growth in clean power this decade. The faster countries embrace cost-effective wind power, the lower energy-bills and carbon emissions will go.
