10. Portugal
> Share of global wind power production: 1.7%
> Increase in wind power (2011)/total: 377 MW/4,083 MW
> Oil production: N/A
> Oil consumption: 0.3 million barrels daily (0.3%)
> GDP growth 2010: 1.4%

Portugal has dramatically increased its reliance on clean energy over the past few years. In 2005, 17% of the country’s electricity was derived from renewable sources. By 2010, this amount i
ncreased to nearly 45%. The country produces less than 0.1% of the world’s oil and only consumes 0.3% of it. The New York Times reports that wind power, along with hydropower, is now Portugal’s main energy focus. One downside, however, is that the Portuguese pay about twice as much as Americans do for electricity. And these prices have risen 15% in the past five years, due in part to the high cost of the country’s renewable energy program.

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9. Canada
> Share of global wind power production: 2.2%
> Increase in wind power (2011)/total:1,267 MW/5,265 MW
> Oil production: 3.3 million barrels/day (4.2%)
> Oil consumption: 2.3 million barrels daily (2.5%)
> GDP growth 2010: 3.2%

Canada is the world’s sixth-largest producer of oil and the 10th-largest consumer of oil. However, wind power is a growing source of energy. According to the Canadian Wind Energy Association, the country’s “vast landscape,” its “three windy coastlines,” and its “plains and mountains,” all contribute to its potential as a major wind energy producer and user. The country is already taking steps to develop this sector. In 2011, the country built 1,267 MW of new wind energy installations in the form of wind towers or wind turbines, effectively quadrupling Canada’s capacity. In 2010, only 690 MW installations were built.

8. UK
> Share of global wind power production: 2.7%
> Increase in wind power (2011)/total: 1,293 MW/6,540 MW
> Oil production: 1.3 million barrels/day (1.6%)
> Oil consumption: 1.6 million barrels daily (1.8%)
> GDP growth 2010: 1.4%

The United Kingdom recently reached a record 6 gigawatts (GW) of wind energy, according to trade association RenewableUK. This is enough to power more than 3.3 million households. Another 19.5 GW are currently planned, and by 2020 over 30 GW are expected to be installed, the group reports. UK Prime Minister David Cameron has recently pledged his support for wind power, writing in a statement, “I see offshore wind as a significant energy and industrial opportunity for the UK, and one that I am determined to seize.”

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7. Italy
> Share of global wind power production: 2.8%
> Increase in wind power (2011)/total: 950 MW/6,747 MW
> Oil production: 0.1 million barrels/day (0.1%)
> Oil consumption: 1.5 million barrels daily (1.8%)
> GDP growth 2010: 1.3%

Although it produces just 0.1% of the world’s oil, Italy consumes 1.8% of it. The country is increasingly turning to wind power to face its energy needs. According to the New York Times, more than 800 Italian communities now make more energy than they consume thanks to recent renewable energy plants, largely wind turbines. In 2011, the country increased its wind power capacity by 14%. However, the Italian government recently cut incentives for wind energy, which, according to Windpower Monthly magazine, may possibly threaten efforts to reach national alternative energy goals.

6. France
> Share of global wind power production: 2.9%
> Increase in wind power (2011)/total: 830 MW/6,800 MW
> Oil production: N/A
> Oil consumption: 1.7 million barrels daily (2.1%)
> GDP growth 2010: 1.5%

In 2010, approximately 74% of France’s power needs were met via nuclear energy. This past summer, the French government began seeking offshore wind energy project proposals to lessen the country’s reliance on nuclear power and increase its share of the growing wind energy market. France has plans to meet 23% of its energy demand through renewable sources by 2020, according to Reuters. The country also plans to double its wind power capacity by 2020.