GE falls to third in world wind manufacturer top 10

WORLDWIDE: GE has been supplanted by Sinovel as the world’s number two wind turbine manufacturer, according to research by Make Consulting.

by James Quilter 16 March 2011

GE's 1.5MW turbine is one of the company's biggest sellers in its main US market

In its annual ‘Wind Turbine OEM Market Share’ report, Make found both Goldwind and Sinovel had improved on their 2009 position in the wind sector.

Goldwind moved up from fifth to fourth, moving above Enercon in the process.

The top five manufacturers remained the same, albeit in a different order. Vestas retained its number one position as a result of its strong position globally.

China’s wind manufacturers improved their market share, thanks in part to a strong domestic market. Chinese OEM’s made up seven of the top 15 overall.

GE managed to improve its position in the US market, however a 44% drop in new capacity had blunted this improvement. GE also struggled elsewhere in what was a difficult global market.

Make founder Morten Keller warned that manufacturers, such as GE, would need to take a global approach to the market.

He said: "Turbine OEMs that depend on the strength of the US market will have to diversify aggressively in other markets in order to maintain global market share.

"Growth in non-traditional markets like Brazil, Romania, Mexico, and the offshore segment, takes on an increasing level of importance as turbine OEMs fight for global market share."

2009