Rejuvenated New Order Intake: 2012 saw new lows in the new order intake, amid policy uncertainty in the US, India and Europe.
Q2 2013 saw 4.6 GW (Gigawatts) of publicly announced firm orders, compared with 3.2 GW during Q2 2012. Overall, H1 2013 saw a growth of around 2% over H1 2012. The negative trend in order intake after Q1 2012 has ended due to a resurgence in orders in the US following the renewal of Production Tax Credit (PTC). Emerging markets such as Brazil, Canada, India and South Africa continue to generate new order intake.
Number of New Wind Installations to Decline in 2013: A decline in the number of new wind installations is expected in 2013, due to lower order intakes and policy uncertainty in 2012. However, 2014 looks set to be a strong installation year for wind turbine manufacturers post policy improvement globally.
Offshore Wind Market Continues to Grow: The global offshore market in H1 2013 grew 161% over H1 2012. The offshore outlook is robust, with a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 35% and 9 GW of new installed capacity until 2015.
Margins Continue to Erode: Turbine manufacturers struggled to make profits in 2012, as turbine prices continued to fall. 2013 is expected to be a year of recovery for Original Equipment Manufactures (OEMs) after low capacity utilization and eroding margins along the value chain in 2012. Cost-cutting measures have begun to take effect and margins are showing some recovery.
Wind Turbine Prices: Wind Turbine Generator (WTG) prices continue to remain stable, withstanding persistent pricing pressures. Newer turbine models continue to fetch premium prices compared to older and less efficient turbine models.
Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE): The average levelized costs for onshore wind have decreased by over 7% to $72.3/MWh, from 2010. Onshore wind in Australia and Brazil is on a par with fossil fuels and is nearing grid parity, globally.
Press release, October 25, 2013