The global wind turbine market is made up of a few big fish in a relatively confined pond - calling for some pretty fierce rivalries. Ten companies account for 80% of the market, with Vestas, from Denmark, leading the pack with 12.8% of the total market share (based on installed capacity). Following closely behind is GE, which controls 12% of the market.
However, Vestas' market share has decreased considerably in the past few years because of an expanding international market for wind. China, for instance, is the fastest growing wind market in the world. Its growing capacity has not only helped domestic wind farmers, but also international players expand to new markets as well. Chinese companies such as Sinovel, Dongfang, and Goldwind face stiff competition from their international counterparts - GE Energy, Vestas, and Suzlon - who have also begun to harvest wind in China. After China is India, whose future is also promising.
Now, when considering the forces that shape and determine an industry, namely the threat of substitutions, barriers to entry, power of suppliers and buyers, and rivalry, one might think that this is a fairly safe sandbox in which to play. Traditional energy sources are depleting at astronomical rates (not to mention how expensive they are), barriers to entry are high, keeping others from entering the market, and suppliers and buyers don't have much influence on prices - at least not yet. But somewhere along the line, somebody left the flood gates open long enough to let ten big fish in the pond - fish that are about equal in size and are all equally hungry. Only time will tell which one will come out on top.
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