The wind power capacity of the world has grown by more than thirty one percent throughout the year 2009. This is based on statistics which were released by the GWEC or Global Wind Energy Council. This boost in wind powered electricity generation has managed to add another 37.5 Giga Watts to the total wind power which is installed globally and has thus, managed to bring the total figure to 157.9 Giga Watts. A third of the total addition has been made in China. Here the net growth rate of renewable sources of energy has yet again been much more than one hundred percent. China has been the largest wind energy market in the world during 2009. It has been able to more than double it’s capacity for generating wind from 12.1 Giga Watts during 2008 to around 25.1 GW towards the later part of 2009. There was a freshly added capacity for wind generation in India worth 1,270 Giga Watts and there have been smaller capacity’s added in parts of Japan, Taiwan and South Korea which have together been able to make Asia the largest regional market for wind as a renewable source of energy in 2009 and has added over 14 Giga Watts in new capacity.

But, The United States of America continues to maintain a very comfortable lead when it comes to installed capacity based on the study of the GWEC. Inspite of the effect of the financial slowdown on the world, the wind energy market in the U.S. has been able to install close to a total of 10 Giga Watts during the year 2009 and this has led to an increase in the total installed capacity of the country by thirty nine percent. Now, the total installed capacity in the United States of America is 35 Giga Watts. “The continuous rapid expansion of wind as a renewable energy source inspite of the financial crisis & economic downturn is just a testament of the inherent attractiveness that technology holds. A technology that is reliable, clean & doesn’t take too long to install,” said the Secretary General of GWEC, Steve Sawyer. Even today, wind energy plays a very important part in the energy markets of the world. The global market for wind turbine installations during 2009 was estimated at approximately €45 billion. GWEC believes that around half a million people are currently employed in the wind industry throughout the world.