When Don Quixote, hero of the early 17th century eponymous novel, fought against windmills, he imagined them to be ominous giants with massive arms whipping about. Of course, Quixote was either completely mad or extremely imaginative and these days, few people look at windmills and see anything more than what they are. Once used widely to grind flour, wind turbines are largely used today to generate huge amounts of clean energy.

The World Energy Report estimates that around 340 terawatts (TW) of electricity from wind energy were produced worldwide in 2009 - that's the equivalent of Italy's yearly energy consumption.

Most of the world's wind turbines are located in Europe. That's because Europe doesn't just have the technological know-how but wind energy is also promoted by several European governments.

Europe losing its edge

But Europe is now losing its edge. It's estimated that only 27 percent of all new wind turbines are built in Europe, making the continent the world's third largest producer of turbines.

Asia is catching up rapidly. The booming continent is now the global leader in wind energy. Some 40 percent of all new wind turbines were installed in Asia last year, most of them in China. The number of new wind plants in the country has doubled for the fourth successive year.

"The government has realized that wind energy is a cheap, renewable and clean energy," Stefan Gsaenger, general secretary of the World Wind Energy Association (WWEA) said, adding that the technology was an export hit. China is now among the world's five largest wind turbine producers.

In addition to large wind parks, Asia also has several smaller micro wind energy plants, particularly in rural regions which aren't connected to the electricity grid. WWEA expert Gsaenger said that individual, small wind turbines with a capacity of one to two kilowatts cost around 800 to 1,000 euros ($982 to $1,227) per plant and can provide entire villages with electricity.

It's estimated that there are about 400,000 of these small, low-cost wind turbines. And their numbers are expected to grow to more than a million, according to Gsaenger, because several million people in China still live without electricity.

Wind energy slow to catch on in South America

South America on the other hand has been slow to embrace wind energy. The continent is home to only about two percent of the new wind parks installed worldwide.

"That's because, among other things, Latin America has already met a large part of its energy needs with hydroelectric power and thus has a comparatively 'clean' energy mix," Trudy Koenemund of the Chile office of GTZ, a German state-owned organization working for sustainable development worldwide, said.

Ralf Heidenreich, press spokesman of juwi, a company that specializes in renewable energy projects, said one of the problems was implementation.

There is a lot of potential, Heidenreich said, adding: "but a lot of improvements are needed in the framework conditions for the construction of new wind plants."

Stefan Gsaenger agreed. Several projects were delayed in the past due to corruption, he said, adding that the traditional energy sector has resisted investments in renewable energy as well.

Despite the odds, the number of wind parks in South America is gradually increasing. Brazil has 44, while Mexico increased its share of wind turbines by a fifth last year. Chile comes in at third place; the country only has six wind parks but a further 20 are planned.

Long way to go for Africa

Africa however has remained almost untouched by the wind energy boom. The number of wind plants built on the continent last year was negligible. Experts say poor infrastructure is largely to blame.

"The electricity first needs to be fed in somewhere," Heidenreich said. If the problem is tackled, it could pave the way for small wind plants, Gsaenger said. But he added that a lack of technology and especially funding posed major obstacles.

Egypt and Morocco are the main producers of wind energy in Africa so far. Egypt is also home to companies that manufacture components for wind mills.

"It's important that added value is created in one's own country," Gsaenger said. "That increases the advantage of wind energy over oil."

The capacity of the worldwide installed wind turbines doubles approximately every three years, according to the WWEA. The development wouldn't have gone down well with literary figure Don Quixote. But for modern humans, it paves the way to a world without polluting fossil-based fuels.

Author: Janine Rabe (sp)
Editor: Mark Mattox