How is wind energy going to support economic recovery? Join us on “WindTV” and see for yourself

Wind energy is well positioned to support Europe’s economic recovery from COVID-19. The EU wants a major expansion of wind energy to deliver the Green Deal. The wind industry has proved resilient this year and is ready to deliver the investments the EU wants – all of which will create jobs and growth. Starting at 09:30 today the WindEurope annual conference “WindTV” will look at how wind can deliver the Green Deal and help drive economic recovery. “WindTV” brings you all you need to know about the prospects and challenges of wind energy – in Europe and beyond.

In its recent report, “Wind energy and economic recovery in Europe”, WindEurope showed how wind energy delivers economic benefits both at macro and community level. Each new wind turbine installed in Europe generates on average €10bn of economic activity. And wind energy is 300,000 jobs in Europe and contributes €37bn to EU GDP. If European governments deliver on their 2030 plans this will rise to 450,000 jobs and €50bn.

The EU wants wind to be half of Europe’s electricity by 2050, which entails a huge expansion in onshore and offshore wind between now and then. What needs to happen to deliver that and to unlock the full economic potential of wind energy? Europe’s wind industry is gathering (virtually) from 1-4 December to discuss.

The conference will take place on the ‘WindTV’ stream with a mix of panels, documentaries, news, interviews, TED talks and entertaining content. It’ll cover all the latest developments in wind energy: technology, markets, finance, planning/permitting and all the other aspects of government policy. Highlights include:

a panel on decarbonising Europe’s heavy industry with BASF CEO Martin Brudermüller;
a discussion on offshore with German and Polish Ministers, Andreas Feicht and Michal Kurtyka and the CEO of TenneT;
conversations with legendary goalkeeper Jean-Marie Pfaff on supporting local communities and with Eurovision winner Ruslana on engaging citizens on wind energy.

The programme kicks off today at 09:30 with an interview with IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol. Then at 10:00 we have the opening session with EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson, Ministers from Germany, Ireland, Denmark, Belgium and the UK and the CEOs of 3 of RWE and Vattenfall Renewables and MHI Vestas.

Ahead of the start of “WindTV” Giles Dickson, CEO of WindEurope, says: “We have 4 days of great discussions ahead with top players from government, industry, technology and finance – and leading personalities from sport and music. And it’s not just Zoom panels. There’s all sort of different formats – videos, power talks, interviews and fun features like kids grilling wind industry CEOs, virtual receptions … and tonight (Tuesday) at 6pm the WindTV pub quiz!”

Gunnar Groebler, Senior Vice-President and Head of Business Area Wind of Vattenfall, says: “The wind industry is in the starting blocks to implement the ambitious European goals for the expansion of renewable energies. Wind on land and at sea will play a leading role in this. However, the declarations of intent by politicians must now be quickly followed by concrete measures at the regulatory level, and the permitting processes in particular urgently need more speed. In this respect, I am looking forward to exciting discussions with the participants in the numerous virtual forums at the WindEurope conference.”

Anja-Isabel Dotzenrath, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of RWE Renewables, says: “With the Green Deal, Europe has defined the ambition to be the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. Wind energy is central to reach this goal and it also brings economic activity and revenues to communities across Europe. Wind should be at the core of a future-proof recovery for all Europeans. As one of the world’s leading companies for renewable energies we at RWE are passionate about enabling a just energy transition.”

Johnny Thomsen, CEO of MHI Vestas Wind, says: “Offshore wind has been marked as a key clean energy source for Europe’s Green Recovery, with the potential for up to 450 GW of offshore wind installed in European waters by 2050. To achieve this ambition and to build a new energy system build on renewable offshore wind, close collaboration between the industry, government and all other stakeholders is necessary. Key challenges must be overcome, and it is through discussions like those we will have at WindEurope’s conference that knowledge can be shared, lessons can be learned, and offshore wind can prepare to power Europe’s clean energy future.”

The WindTV Premium Conference will cover a wide range of topics. It will analyse the developments in global and national wind markets and also discusses challenges related to permitting, environmental protection, spatial planning and community engagement. Business news formats will bring you the latest innovations, strategies and corporate news. Other elements of the WindTV programme focus on technology, including turbines, grid optimisation, renewable hydrogen, digitalisation, electrification and system integration.

With the WindTV Premium Stream you can access the whole programme on-demand. Missed an episode? Want to revisit some important industry news? No problem with the WindTV Premium Stream.

Take a look at the full WindTV programme!