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. And in 2024 alone, the world added another 127 GW, making it the best year ever for new wind energy installations. Wind energy development started on land. But more and more countries are now building wind turbines at sea. Some wind farms can even float in deep water!
Wind energy is 20% of all electricity consumed in Europe. The EU want it to be 35% by 2030. And over 50% by 2050 The wind industry employs 370,000 people in Europe today. If the EU delivers on its wind energy expansion targets this number is set to increase to 600,000 by 2030. A big challenge -Europe will have to identify and train more than 200,000 people to obtain the skills required to work in wind.
The benefits of wind energy are obvious:
- Wind energy enhances prosperity: Wind contributes €52bn to Europe’s GDP each year. 370,000 people work in Europe’s wind industry across 250+ factories. Each wind turbine installed in Europe adds on average €16mn to the European economy. And wind farms boost local economies, especially in rural areas. Communities across Europe benefit from the more than €10bn of taxes which are paid by wind farms annually.
- Wind energy makes us more independent: The EU spends around €500m on energy imports annually – most of them dirty fossil fuels. This has made our continent highly dependent on volatile fossil fuel prices and unreliable foreign regimes. Europe’s wind fleet cuts the continent’s fossil demand by 100 bcm annually – 500 large oil tankers.
- Wind energy makes our economies more competitive: Wind is scalable, quick to build, and its costs are predictable. That’s why European businesses in chemicals, steel, ICT, pharma, food/drink want to source power directly from wind farms. Wind can deliver the cheap energy needed to make European industry competitive in global markets.
- Wind energy is good for the planet: 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.
WindEurope is the voice of the wind industry, actively promoting wind energy across Europe. We have over 600 members from across the whole value chain of wind energy; wind turbine manufacturers; component suppliers; power utilities and wind farm developers; financial institutions; research institutes and the national wind energy associations.
WindEurope actively coordinates international policy, communications, research and analysis. We provide various services to support members’ requirements and needs in order to further their development, offering the best networking and learning opportunities in the sector. WindEurope produces a large variety of information tools and manages campaigns aimed at raising awareness about the benefits of wind and enhancing social acceptance, dispelling myths about wind energy and providing easy access to credible information. WindEurope organises numerous events, ranging from conferences, exhibitions, and launches to seminars and workshops. To see a full history of the European wind energy industry click here.
For more information: windeurope.org
GWEC is a member-based organisation that represents the entire wind energy sector. The members of GWEC represent over 1,500 companies, organisations and institutions in more than 80 countries, including manufacturers, developers, component suppliers, research institutes, national wind and renewables associations, electricity providers, finance, insurance companies and law firms. Our mission is to ensure that wind power establishes itself as the answer to today’s energy challenges, providing substantial environmental and economic benefits.
GWEC works with national and international policy makers and industry associations to help open new markets for wind power i.e. UNFCCC, the IEA, international financial institutions, the IPCC and IRENA. GWEC has a proven track record of success in helping to build the wind power industry in emerging markets around the world, including Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa.
For more information: www.gwec.net
