2016 Reshuffles the Top 10 Global Wind Turbine Manufacturers

Guidehouse Insights’ annual World Wind Energy Market Update ranking of the top 10 wind turbine vendors is closely observed every year. This benchmarking goes back 22 years—before other similar analyses existed and when commercial wind turbines had 50 meter rotors and a top nameplate size of around 750 kW. Today in 2017, there are rotor diameters pushing beyond 140 meters for some onshore turbines and 164 meters for offshore turbines. Nameplate capacities for onshore are mostly between 2 MW and 4 MW and 9 MW for offshore, and 10 MW capacities are just around the commercial corner.

In 2016, a total of 54.3 GW was installed globally, a 14.0% annual decrease. This annual downturn is largely the result of China dropping from 30.2 GW installed in 2015 to 23.3 GW in 2016 due to changing incentive rates in that market. The new wind capacity added in 2016 brings new cumulative wind capacity up to 486.8 GW globally, a 12.1% annual increase.

The downturn in China from an unbelievable amount of capacity installed in 2015 to a merely astonishing level installed in 2016 resulted in a shake-up of the top 10 ranking, as a few Chinese vendors dropped in capacity and rank against their peers. Merger and acquisition (M&A) activity also effected the ranking, with GE now including Alstom wind activity and Nordex including Acciona activity.

The Top 10 in 2016

The actual megawatts and market share numbers installed in 2016 are available in the full report, but the following summary describes the year 2016 annual top 10 ranking:

• Vestas regained its longtime No. 1 status globally for annual wind installations with double-digit growth rates. It even achieved higher capacity additions in the United States over GE Energy, which has normally held a perennial lead.
• GE Energy saw its strongest year to date and moved from 3 place in 2015 capacity in last year’s Guidehouse Insights World Wind Energy Market Update report to 2 place for 2016 capacity. Its acquisition of Alstom’s wind turbine division helped, but it was largely momentum with GE Energy’s wind portfolio that drove its move upwards.
• Goldwind fell in 2016 to 3 place from its briefly held No. 1 position in 2015, when it rode the cresting wave of the record Chinese market.
• Gamesa took 4 place in 2016, underlining why it was a target for M&A with Siemens’ wind division, a mega-merger that was made official in April 2017. Despite no Spanish home market, Gamesa saw continued success in a variety of global growth markets, propelling it from 8 place globally in 2014 and 5 in 2015 to 4 in 2016.
• Enercon had a strong 2016, moving up the ranks to 5 place in 2016, thanks to a strong domestic German market, a reputable direct drive turbine portfolio, and well-diversified sales internationally.
• Siemens again fell two positions in the 2016 top rankings to 6 place from 4 in 2015—and from 2 in 2014, when it nearly took the top slot from Vestas. In 2016, a commanding lead in its offshore wind division could not offset lower installation rates in its onshore segment.
• Nordex broke into the top 10 category, taking 7 place globally. This jump in 2016 was due largely to its acquisition of Acciona in 2015, which rapidly shifted Acciona’s international success to the Nordex Group.
• The final three top 10 companies in order were all Chinese: Envision, Ming Yang, and United Power. All three saw lower installation totals in 2016 than in 2015 as the Chinese market cooled. Envision moved up the rankings within the large group of Chinese turbine OEMs.

Top 10 Wind Turbine Suppliers Market Share, World Markets: 2016

(Source: Guidehouse Insights)