Britain Ranks Top In World Wind Market

Britain ranked ahead of the United States, Germany and Spain in Ernst & Young's wind index, which is part of a wider index measuring a combination of renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and biomass in 15 countries.

"Britain's top ranking...is a result of the large amount of unexploited wind resource, improving planning attitude and attractive tariffs...," Jonathan Johns, head of Ernst & Young's Renewable Energy Group, said in a statement.

"Renewables are relatively protected from the deregulated UK market by Renewables Obligation Certificates with renewable energy obtaining prices typically three times those for conventional energy," Johns added.

Under the renewables law, power companies have to supply three percent of electricity sales from green energy sources from 2002, rising to 10.4 percent in 2011, or pay a penalty.

Johns said capital grants for emerging technologies were also good in Britain and that the planning environment had improved, particularly in Scotland.

"At present in the UK there is a greater capacity of wind power with planning consents that is awaiting construction than the total existing installed capacity," he said.

Last year 525 megawatts (MW) of wind power won planning permission in the UK, adding to the existing capacity of 552.2 MW, according to the British Wind Energy Association.

UK Renewable Power Association said in the Ernst and Young statement that wind power was expected to provide half of the 10 per cent renewable target.

Ernst & Young said Denmark which has the highest proportion of installed wind capacity per population, scored relatively low in the index because the index was forward looking.

Denmark already has a high installed base relative to grid capacity and reduced tariff incentives.