Vestas Reclaims Position as Top Global Wind Turbine Manufacturer in 2018

Shifts in OEM rankings reflect an industry plateau created by increased cost pressures and competition from solar

Jul 18, 2019

A new report from Navigant Research tracks wind turbine OEM market distributions and market shares by region and country.

In 2018, global installed wind power capacity decreased year-to-year from 52 GW to 50.6 GW, due to increased competition from solar and a transition to more challenging market-based competitive incentives for the wind market. As the industry plateaus in certain countries, some turbine manufacturers are responding to the shifting market dynamics better than others. Click to tweet: According to a new report from Navigant Research, Vestas retook the top position from Siemens Gamesa in 2018 with a record 10.4 GW installed.

“The top 10 global rankings reflect increasingly competitive market dynamics among OEMs and various country markets,” says Jesse Broehl, research analyst at Navigant Research.  “Beyond the top overall global rankings, there is intense competition among a handful of OEMs in the top global markets.”

According to the report, although the Chinese turbine OEMs install an impressive number of wind turbines each year, the capacity is almost exclusively in China. Only a few Chinese OEMs install outside of China, and the capacity is minimal despite years of internationalization efforts. Therefore, a key part of the current industry focus is on shifting market shares in many countries where top companies like Vestas, Siemens Gamesa, GE Renewable Energy, Nordex, Enercon, and others are all competing for business. For example, GE Renewable Energy retook the lead in the United States from Vestas, which had surpassed it the year before. Vestas, however, took the top position in more leading country markets in 2018 over its other rivals.

The report, Market Data: Global Wind Turbine OEM Market Share, focuses on tracking wind turbine OEM market distributions and market shares by region and country and includes Chinese and non-Chinese OEM comparisons. The study analyzes specific competitive countries for turbine OEMs, whose success relies on vast diversification among many global markets versus reliance on only one or a few markets. Data presented includes the top three to five wind turbine OEMs in each of the top 10 country markets for 2018. Average wind turbine size in top country markets is assessed, as are average wind turbine rotor diameters by turbine OEM and by top country markets. In addition, this report provides data on the top selling wind turbine Western OEMs in 2018. An Executive Summary of the report is available for free download on the Navigant Research website.

Contact:

Lindsay Funicello-Paul

+1.781.270.8456

lindsay.funicello.paul@navigant.com

*The information contained in this press release concerning the report, Market Data: Global Wind Turbine OEM Market Share, is a summary and reflects Navigant Research’s current expectations based on market data and trend analysis. Market predictions and expectations are inherently uncertain and actual results may differ materially from those contained in this press release or the report. Please refer to the full report for a complete understanding of the assumptions underlying the report’s conclusions and the methodologies used to create the report. Neither Navigant Research nor Navigant undertakes any obligation to update any of the information contained in this press release or the report.