This meant the US secured second place in terms of installations, behind China with 20.7GW. The extension of the Production Tax Credit (PTC) subsidy in the US in January 2013 spurred developers to push forward with projects, causing a spike in installations.
It was also a bumper year for Germany and Brazil, which both broke their previous annual installation records. Germany hit 3.2GW, while Brazil installed 2.9GW.
Policy drove Germany's record year, as developers rushed to take advantage of the grace period of the outgoing support system, after a new mechanism and stricter regulations were announced last year.
China now has 96GW of wind capacity grid connected, making wind the country's third-largest power source after coal and hydropower.
However, 2015 is expected to be weaker for China, following a rush to develop projects in expectation of regulatory changes.
The government is set to cut the feed-in tariff for onshore projects, although the CNY 0.02/kWh reduction is better than many had feared.
"This year has seen a couple of special circumstances come together, so it probably isn't a blueprint for future development," said David Hostert, European wind analyst for BNEF.
