Last year was a “record year” for wind power growth in North and Latin America, with nearly 22GW of capacity installed, according to GWEC Market Intelligence.
The US installed 17GW of this amount in 2020, installing more capacity in the fourth quarter than was installed the entire year in 2019.
The main driver behind the surge was the phaseout of the 100% Production Tax Credit (PTC) at the end of 2020 for wind power projects that began construction in 2016, said GWEC.
In Latin America, Brazil continued to lead the way for wind power installations with 2.3GW of new capacity installed in 2020.
Record years in Argentina (1GW) and Chile (684MW) helped to further drive growth in the region last year, said GWEC, while wind power development in Mexico slowed down due to “political challenges”.
Overall, the total wind power capacity in North and Latin America is now 136GW and 34GW respectively.
GWEC market intelligence head Feng Zhao said: “Since 2010, the wind power market in the US has tripled in size and nearly quadrupled its share in the country’s electricity mix.
“Although we were expecting an installation rush in the US in 2020, this growth is truly impressive considering the impacts of Covid-19 on the country’s supply chain and economy.
“The 17GW of wind power capacity added to the American grid last year is enough to power five million American homes with clean, sustainable, and reliable energy, which has become increasingly important in the US considering the impact of the recent power outages.”
Ramon Fiestas, chair of GWEC’s Latin America Task Force added: “The wind power market in Latin America has grown sixteen-fold over the past decade, and is the fastest growing power source in the region.
“However, the key challenge now is maintaining this consistent growth in the region’s established wind energy markets such as Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, and Chile in order to decarbonise the region’s energy system at the pace needed to achieve our Paris Agreement targets.
“It is crucial these challenges are addressed now to ensure a long-term pipeline and capitalise on the impressive growth momentum in the region”.