Wind Power – The Struggle for Control of a New Global Industry looks at the nations, companies and people fighting for control of one of the world’s fastest growing new industries and how we can harness one of the planet’s most powerful energy resources – wind power. The book also examines the challenges the sector faces as it competes for influence and investment with the fossil fuel industry across the globe.
The wind power business has grown from a niche sector within the energy industry to a global industry attracting substantial investment in recent years. In Europe wind has become the biggest source of new power generation capacity, while wind is successfully competing with the gas, coal and nuclear sectors in China and the US.
The specialist wind turbine companies that pioneered the business have gone global over the last decade, while big industrial conglomerates have entered the fray. European companies are struggling to maintain their technological and market lead in the sector, in a three cornered battle with China and the US.
Meanwhile, the industry is fighting to drive down costs in the face of a fossil fuel generation industry bolstered by the onset of cheap shale gas. And wind companies continue to wrestle with a stop-go cycle of investment across the world, with some traditional markets stuttering under the impact of the financial crisis and fiscal austerity, while new power hungry markets in Asia and South America emerge.
Wind Power – The Struggle for Control of a New Global Industry analyses the industry climbers, the investment trends and the technological advancements that will define the future of wind energy.
List of Figures and Tables
Foreword by Steve Sawyer
Acknowledgements
Introduction : The Struggle for the Global Wind-Power Market
Chapter 1 : From Maoism to Lear Jets : Turbine Makers Go Global
Chapter 2 : Big Industry Moves In
Chapter 3 : China Shakes the Wind Industry
Chapter 4 : Emerging Powers : India and Brazil
Chapter 5 : The Offshore Frontier
Chapter 6 : After Copenhagen : A Perfect Storm for Turbine Manufacturers
Chapter 7 : Turbine Manufacturers in Trouble
Chapter 8 : Challenges for the Wind-Turbine Industry
Conclusion : Who will Reap the Wind?
Postscript
References
Index
