The Wind Energy Convention 2013 was held in Madrid over 12-13 June, an event which was attended by Maurizio Bezzeccheri, Head of Iberia and America Latina at Enel Green Power. The convention showed that there will be a fast-paced growth of wind power and renewable energy in general until 2020.
Wind power is growing and will continue to do so thanks in part to EGP, which has a total wind power capacity of 4931MW and is in the process of adding to that with a number of wind farm projects.
‘During the event certain numbers were presented and reaffirmed,’ said Bezzeccheri in an interview with Enel Radio. ‘Forecasts regarding wind power predict global development at a pace of between 10-15% each year until 2020.
‘It must be remembered that at the end of 2012 there was a wind power capacity of about 283,000 megawatts was online,and that in that year alone 44,000MW was installed,’ he continued. ‘Some forecasts predict that by 2020 that number will rise to between 600-700 gigawatts worldwide.’
Wind power is crucial for EGP’s growth strategy: in 2012 it its installed capacity by 775 MW, and continued this over the first six months of 2013 by adding another 537MW. EGP now has a wind power capacity of 4,931MW, 54 percent of the Group’s installed capacity, and by 2017 it aims to reach 7.2 GW.
‘wind power is the most mature of all renewable sources and the one that is closest to grid parity, therefore it can compete with traditional energy,’ added Bezzeccheri.
In Brazil in May EGP began the construction of the Curva dos Ventos, Fontes dos Ventos and Modelo wind farms, in the states of Bahia, Pernambuco and Rio Grande do Norte in the country’s north-east. Additionally, it built the Cristal complexin Bahia.
‘We are actually talking about 11 wind farms in total, with about 280 MW presently under construction,’ underlinedBezzeccheri.