Global wind energy installations added 165 GW of new capacity in 2025, pushing cumulative installations past 1.3 terawatts, as the Middle East conflicts and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz accelerated the transition to renewable energy, the Global Wind Energy Council said on Monday.
GWEC said in a report that the rise in wind capacity installation was driven by strong demand for new onshore wind, which rose by 42% to 155.3 GW, while new offshore wind rose by 18% to 9 GW.
The report said that Asia, led by China and India, commissioned 131 GW of new capacity, which was 80% of the global total. GWEC said China dominated global growth, installing about 120.5 GW of new wind capacity in 2025, almost matching the world's total additions in 2024.
The industry is navigating significant "headwind" following the rollback of the Inflation Reduction Act and the temporary withdrawal of offshore wind leasing. Though the wind energy industry faces a sharp policy divide in the US, the country added about 7 GW of onshore wind capacity last year.
The GWEC said that rising demand from artificial intelligence data centers and manufacturing will keep wind a critical, albeit politically contested, component of the US grid.
GWEC said emerging markets also accelerated new wind energy installations, with Saudi Arabia quadrupling installations to 1.5 GW, Chile tripling additions to 1.1 GW, and Turkey reaching 2.1 GW, reflecting wind's expanding strategic appeal across regions.
Meanwhile, governments are increasingly viewing wind as a tool for economic resilience rather than just climate action. GWEC said wind now delivers across the four pillars of energy security, availability, accessibility, affordability, and acceptability, by reducing exposure to volatile energy imports.
The report said the wind energy industry is also evolving technologically. AI and advanced data analytics are now standard across the value chain, from resource assessment to fleet optimization.
Furthermore, the rise of "hybrid" projects, co-locating wind, solar, and storage, is demonstrating how the sector can stabilize output and improve overall system performance.
GWEC projected that new installations will hit 178 GW in 2026, with a total of 969 GW expected over the next five years.
To meet the COP28 goal of tripling renewable capacity by 2030, the report said governments must focus on three winning formulae ranging from, stable policy frameworks, efficient licensing, and coordinated grid planning.