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All analyses of the global energy picture today say that the wind industry has a ‘bright future’. Having experienced double digit cumulative growth for nearly twenty years, wind is unique among modern manufacturing industries, to the point where the fastest growing job in the United States is ‘wind energy technician’. But how bright? Our recently released Global Wind Energy Outlook explores a range of possible futures for the wind energy.There are two overarching questions which will have more than anything else to do with the rate and scope of wind power’s expansion out to 2020, 2030 and to 2050: 1) Will humanity once and for all join forces to combat the existential threat of climate change? 2) Is there some miraculous technological breakthrough just around the corner that will transform the power sector without the need for wind, solar and other existing technologies? It does not seem likely, but it can never be ruled out. But before we look at the future, it is useful to look at what has changed recently. What has changed?„„Wind has become a mainstream power sourceWind provides 4 per cent of global electricity supply and is growing rapidly, supplying more than 40 per cent of Denmark’s power last year; 23 per cent in Portugal and Ireland, 20 per cent in Uruguay, 19 per cent in Spain, and 15 per cent in Germany. The US state of Iowa sourced 31 per cent of its electricity from wind in 2015, South Dakota 25 per cent, Kansas 24 per cent, Oklahoma 18 per cent and Texas - 10 per cent. In 2015, wind was the largest single source (nearly 50 per cent) of all increase in electricity generation globally. „„Prices have fallen dramaticallyWind is the cheapest way to add capacity to the grid in a large number of markets. Very low prices across South America and Africa and in the United States are becoming the new normal, as both the technology and the industry matures and becomes more competitive. In the US, the cost of wind energy has dropped by more than 65 per cent in the past 6 years1. “WIND IS THE CHEAPEST WAY TO ADD CAPACITY TO THE GRID IN A LARGE NUMBER OF MARKETS”STEVE SAWYER, SECRETARY GENERAL, GLOBAL WIND ENERGY COUNCIL (GWEC)THE FUTURE OF WIND ENERGYPhoto Credit: Vestas