Global Wind Day is a worldwide event that occurs annually on 15 June. It is a day for discovering wind, its power and the possibilities it holds to reshape our energy systems, decarbonise our economies and boost jobs and growth.
Wind energy is now one of the cheapest forms of energy generation in large parts of the world. Globally wind energy capacity passed the first 1 TW milestone in 2023 – it now totals 1,021 GW! The global wind industry installed a record 117 GW of new capacity in 2023, making it the best year ever for new wind energy. It was also the second-best year in history for offshore wind with 10.8 GW of new capacity built. More and more countries are now starting to build wind turbines at sea. Some wind farms can even float in deep water!
In Europe wind energy is already 20% of all electricity consumed. The EU want it to be 35% by 2030. And over 50% by 2050. In 2023 the European wind industry had a turnover of €93bn and contributed €57.2bn to the European gross domestic product (GDP). Each gigawatt of wind turbines installed in Europe adds around €3bn to the European economy. And at the same time, the wind industry employed 370,000 people in Europe. By 2050 this number could grow to more than 500,000.
Wind energy is a central pillar in our fight against global warming. Wind energy generation in Europe alone avoided 139 million tons of climate-damaging CO2 emissions in 2023.
Global Wind Day is a coordinated action between WindEurope, Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) and national renewable energy associations to introduce the general public to wind energy through a series of activities.
