Wind power in 2021
Wind turbines made 1,856 TWh of electricity in 2021, 6.6% of all the world's, up 16.6% on 2020.
| Wind generation | 1,856 TWh |
|---|---|
| Share of the world's electricity | 6.6% |
| Change on 2020 | +265 TWh (+16.6%) |
| Solar generation, for comparison | 1,054 TWh (3.7%) |
Where wind grew most
| Country | 2021, TWh | Change | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 656 | +189 | +40.6% |
| United States | 378 | +40 | +11.9% |
| Brazil | 72 | +15 | +26.7% |
| India | 68 | +7.7 | +12.7% |
| Türkiye | 31 | +6.4 | +26.0% |
| Spain | 62 | +5.6 | +10.0% |
| Australia | 27 | +4.2 | +18.5% |
| Argentina | 13 | +3.5 | +37.5% |
| Netherlands | 18 | +2.9 | +18.7% |
| Vietnam | 3.3 | +2.4 | +240.8% |
The biggest producers of wind power
| Country | 2021, TWh | Share of the world's wind | On 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 656 | 35.3% | +40.6% |
| United States | 378 | 20.4% | +11.9% |
| Germany | 114 | 6.2% | −13.6% |
| Brazil | 72 | 3.9% | +26.7% |
| India | 68 | 3.7% | +12.7% |
| United Kingdom | 65 | 3.5% | −14.1% |
| Spain | 62 | 3.3% | +10.0% |
| Canada | 37 | 2.0% | +4.3% |
| France | 37 | 2.0% | −7.3% |
| Türkiye | 31 | 1.7% | +26.0% |
The biggest wind farms that began generating in 2021
| # | Wind farm | Country | Capacity | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guangdong Yangjiang Shaba (Three Gorges) Offshore wind farm | China | 1,706 MW | Offshore |
| 2 | Inner Mongolia Wulanchabu New Generation Grid Friendly Green Windpower Station | China | 1,700 MW | Onshore |
| 3 | Western Spirit | United States | 1,056 MW | Onshore |
| 4 | Zhejiang Xiangshan 1 Offshore wind farm | China | 758 MW | Offshore |
| 5 | Borssele III & IV offshore wind farm | Netherlands | 740 MW | Offshore |
| 6 | Kriegers Flak Offshore wind farm | Denmark | 605 MW | Offshore |
| 7 | Guangdong Nan'ao Lemen 1 Offshore wind farm | China | 599 MW | Offshore |
| 8 | Rio Do Vento wind farm | Brazil | 534 MW | Onshore |
| 9 | Stockyard Hill wind farm | Australia | 530 MW | Onshore |
| 10 | White Mesa | United States | 508 MW | Onshore |
From our list of the world's wind farms, which holds 1,009 farms with 88.5 GW whose first turbines generated in 2021; a farm built in phases counts in the year it began, at its full size. It isn't complete: registers and trackers add farms a year or more late, and some of China's biggest projects are listed whole though built in phases.
The turbines
The average new onshore turbine in 2021:
- United States: 3.0 MW, with a 128 m rotor
- Germany: 4.0 MW, with a 134 m rotor
- Sweden: 4.6 MW, with a 144 m rotor
- Canada: 4.2 MW, with a 140 m rotor
Sources
Electricity: Ember's yearly electricity data (CC BY 4.0), which gathers each country's official statistics; countries without figures for 2021 yet are left out of the country tables, and the newest year can still be revised. Wind farms: national registers and Global Energy Monitor; see data sources.
Other years: 2020 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025