China accounts for 35% of global onshore wind capacity

China installed 15.9 gigawatts of onshore turbines in 2012.

This accounted for more than a third of all newly installed onshore wind power capacity last year, according to a Bloomberg New Energy Finance report.

The U.S. installed a record 13.2 gigawatts in 2012, 14 percent fewer turbines than China, the report said.

Wind energy has become China’s third-biggest energy resource, following coal and hydropower, and generates 2 percent of its total electricity, according to data from China’s State Electricity Regulatory Commission.

China owns the world’s largest annual installed wind power capacity.

Inner Mongolia led China in 2012 with 1.7 gigawatts of new capacity, followed by Shandong with 1.4 gigawatts and Hebei with 1.1 gigawatts. There are 15 gigawatts, accounting for 20 percent of China’s wind capacity, that remains unconnected to the grid in the country.

Xinjiang Goldwind led Guodian United and Sinovel Wind in supplying equipment to the nation last year.  China’s largest wind-energy developers were China Longyuan Power and Huaneng Renewables.

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