According to the Global Energy Wind Council (GWEC), the installed wind power capacity in the Americas rose by 12% in 2018 and reached approximately 135 GW. More specifically, new capacity additions increased by 10.8% in North America and by 18.7% in Latin America (i.e. Central and South America).
The leading countries were the United States, Brazil and Mexico. In the United States, new capacities were driven by the final extension of the Production Tax Credit (PTC), whereas auctions continued to deliver new projects in Latin America: Brazil added 2 GW of wind capacity (up to 14 GW installed), while Mexico installed nearly 1 GW and reached the 5 GW threshold. Overall, the Americas made up about 25% of the global wind capacity additions in 2018.
Looking forward, the GWEC predicts that the Americas are likely to add 60 GW of new capacity between 2019 and 2023. Some other countries will join the trend and pave the way for the development of new wind projects. For instance, Colombia is currently holding its first renewable energy auction and aims at reaching at least 500 MW of wind energy capacity by 2022.
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