glOBal Wind energy OuTlOOk 2010 - Global Wind Energy Council

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solar and ocean energy to the renewable mix. A 41.7 million
USD fund has been set up to help with this process. As far
as wind resource goes, according to SWERA figures 2 , 11,000
km2 – or 3.7% of the land area – have good wind resources,
which could potentially support the development of 55 GW
of wind power – over three times the current total installed
power capacity.
Vietnam’s (purely technical) wind potential could support
642 GW of wind power according to SWERA figures. In addition,
Vietnam has a fast-growing economy and a growing
demand for electric power. The country has been expanding
its generating capacity, including through new large hydro
dams, but still needs to import electricity from China. The
Vietnamese government is aiming for renewable power to
provide about 5% of the nation’s electricity by 2020.
Vietnam’s first wind developments took place in 2009. One
of the country’s first plants at Binh Thuan will soon be connected
to the grid, and two more projects are reported to be
in the pipeline in Lam Dong Province (150 MW and 80 MW).
Investor interest in the Vietnamese wind market is considerable,
and overall, some 20 wind power projects with a combined
capacity of 20 GW are reportedly in the pipeline.
Thailand’s growing affluence has led to a startling rise in per
capita electricity consumption, which has grown by almost
25% in the past five years. An estimated 30.2 GW of new
generation capacity will be needed by 2021. At present, Thailand’s
electricity generation is dominated by fossil fuels, but
the government recently announced a 15-year Alternative
Energy Development Plan (AEDP) with a target of increasing
the share of renewable energy from 6.4% in 2008 to 20% in
2022, with an 800 MW target of wind capacity. According to
SWERA figures, Thailand’s technical wind resource could support
the development of 190 GW of wind power.
Prosperous Taiwan generated and consumed 230 TWh in
2008, yet it has to import 98% of its fuel requirements.
Taiwan has set a target for renewables to meet 10% of its
electricity needs by 2010, up from 5.8% currently. Wind power
is expected to meet 80% of that, and a feed-in tariff was
introduced in 2009. During 2009, Taiwan installed 78 MW of
new wind power, bringing the total to 436 MW. Taiwan does
have a good wind resource on its western coast as well as
offshore, but it remains to be seen if the guaranteed purchase
price is high enough to encourage investment.
In Pakistan, the far-reaching implications of the flood
disaster of 2010 on infrastructure in general, and the power
infrastructure specifically, cannot yet be assessed at the time
of writing. There was an acute power shortage even before
this disaster, and a strong increase in power demand. Most
of the country’s power needs to date are met by fossil fuels.
To support the addition of renewable capacity, the Asian
Development Bank set up a 510 million USD financing facility
in 2006, and during that same year, a feed-in tariff was
introduced. 3
2 UNEP’s Sun and Wind Energy Resource Assessment (SWERA) programme, see www.swera.net
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