Vestas, a wind-energy solutions pioneer, achieved a new milestone late in 2018 by amassing 100 GW of installed wind turbines with the installation of a V110-2.0 MW turbine at MidAmerican Energy’s Wind XI project in Iowa, US, the company has announced in a statement.

Since the inaugural installation of a V10-30 kW turbine in Denmark in 1979, Vestas has installed over 66,000 turbines in around 80 countries across six continents and been a key part of taking wind energy from niche to mainstream.

Vestas, whose largest onshore wind turbine is the V150-4.2 MW turbine, attributed the company’s latest milestone to its continual evolution of wind energy technology and solutions that have increased output and efficiency to levels making wind energy the most affordable electricity source in many markets.

“We have pioneered wind energy across the globe for 40 years, and to install 100 GW together with our customers and partners is something we are extremely proud of as it underlines how far Vestas and wind energy have come. It’s also a pleasure to celebrate this milestone with a key customer like MidAmerican Energy”, remarked Anders Runevad, Vestas President and CEO. “Reaching this milestone has required continuous innovation, strong commitment and great execution from all Vestas’ employees, and, therefore, the 100 GW total represents a key part of the foundation enabling us to develop sustainable energy solutions of the future”.

Along the way to reaching its 100-GW milestone, Vestas has helped remove over one hundred million tons of CO2 from the atmosphere by providing sustainable and cost-effective solutions to meet the world’s energy demand, it noted in the company announcement.

Vestas has installed approximately 10 percent of the world’s total 1 TW of installed wind and solar energy capacity, the company informed in its statement.