Wind energy capacity is growing rapidly in the cold climates
of the world. According to the latest forecasts, between 45 and 50 gigawatts of
wind energy will be built in cold climates by 2017, which would mean an
increase of as much as 72 per cent since the end of 2012 and investments
amounting to approximately EUR 75 billion.
“This is a huge opportunity,” says Research Scientist Tomas
Wallenius from VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. “There has been a lot
of talk about the potential of offshore wind power, but the market for cold
climate wind energy is more than ten times greater. We already have the tools
to harness the potential of cold climate wind energy cost-effectively, while
offshore wind energy is still at the research and development stage.”