Last month wind power in Spain reached new heights. This extract from the Spanish wind energy association’s (AEE) blog ‘somos eolicos’ highlights what happened…

Finland has one of the lowest amounts of wind energy capacity in Europe but the situation could be changing.  Finland’s target for 2020 is to meet 38% of the country’s energy consumption with renewable energies. The main renewable energy sources to meet this target are biomass, wind power and hydro power.

Japan is much in the news this week after the Asian nation shut down the last of its 54 nuclear reactors for safety tests and maintenance following last year’s earthquake and tsunami which triggered a meltdown of the Fukushima reactor.

Vestas has admitted issues with its 376 of its V90 3MW gearboxes while announcing a net loss of €162 million euros for Q1 2012 but maintains guidance for 2012.

With a 63% increase in installed wind capacity last year, Brazil continues turning to the emissions-free generating technology to help the nation diversify its power mix and satisfy a growing electricity demand.

Emerging analytical and geospatial planning tools are making it easier for investors and home owners alike to assess the feasibility of a variety of renewable energy projects, in particular solar. Below is a snapshot of just some of the resources under development.

Below are a series of edited excerpts from discussions and presentations at EWEA 2012, highlighting key topics and concerns for the future wind industry.

New wind installations in Germany grew 30 percent in 2011. Now Chinese companies are building factories in Germany. The Chinese subsidiary Jade Werke will begin production of steel fundaments for offshore wind parks in Germany as early as 2013.

Anyone who has ever visited Africa and witnessed the continent’s still grinding poverty and its poor access to electricity will be delighted by recent news that work should begin later this year on a 300-MW wind farm in Kenya.