The renewable energy industry is one of the fastest growing industries at present. Much effort is being made to develop many different sources of renewable energy, and many of these will contribute to the energy mix of the future.
Wind power stands out from the others as being economically viable, technically proven, and deliverable on a large scale. At the end of 2006 the total capacity of wind turbines installed in Europe was 48,545 MW, and increase of 19% on the previous year. This represents an annual investment in the industry in Europe in the order of £7.5 billion.
In the UK the installed capacity at the end of 2006 was less than 2,000 MW (this compares with 20,000 MW for Germany). For a country with a good wind regime and an attractive power price, there is enormous potential for more development.
