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The world’s energy grids added a record 165GW of wind capacity last year, up 40% compared to 2024. This finding comes from the Global Wind Energy Council. The headline figure is encouraging, but a deeper dig in the data reveals glaring disparities. China was at the forefront, bringing online 120GW worth of wind power. The US, the world’s second-largest market, added a paltry 7GW. The gap between these two figures reflects the uneven roll out of the technology, even as it becomes more cost-effective. Conflict in the Gulf should spur more take up of renewables, which last year overtook coal as the world’s main source of electricity. Most of the increase has been driven by solar. In the US, meanwhile, Donald Trump has declared war on wind power. His administration has no new projects in the pipeline.
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