CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Dec. 15 The Asia-Pacific wind industry is on course to reach an 80 gigawatt capacity by 2020, according to a study by Emerging Energy Research.The results, released Friday, say India and China are expected to lead the region by adding more than 36,000 megawatts of capacity by 2015. Japan, Australia, South Korea, New Zealand, Taiwan, Pakistan and the Philippines are also expected to expand their markets.Asia-Pacific will see an exponential scaling up of its wind power sector over the next five years from the size of wind turbines installed to the dimensions of utility and Independent Power Producer portfolios, said Keith Hays, research director for EER. Political commitment, energy demand and competition have been driving the growth in the region, the report says. Growth over the last three years has been 50 percent annually with projects transitioning from experimental to larger markets.The most prominent owners are spread throughout the region with the largest being Chinese state utilities. International IPPs are expected to lend to projects in the area as well. Turbine supply companies are competing for participation in projects in the area and some are building manufacturing facilities in the area as well, such as Vestas, GE and Suzlon.The coming years will see the solidification of the wind industry in Asia Pacific as political will is tested with the teething problems of new support systems and the challenge of upgrading aging infrastructure, Hays said. Copyright 2006 by UPI
