WindEnergy Hamburg 2016 and WindEurope Summit open – Global hotspot for wind energy in Hamburg

WindEnergy Hamburg 2016 has grown substantially compared with the premiere two years ago, with more than 1,400 exhibitors and one more fully booked exhibition hall. The world’s leading expo for wind energy and the WindEurope Summit, to be held for the first time side-by-side in Hamburg, were opened on Tuesday by the German Vice Chancellor, Economics and Energy Minister Sigmar Gabriel. “I am very pleased that we have a wind focus here in Hamburg – it is a real flagship for the German wind industry. So it is absolutely right for WindEnergy Hamburg and the WindEurope Summit to be held in parallel here in Hamburg – they are two lead events for the German and international wind industry”, Gabriel said. The speakers at the opening ceremony included Maro? ©ef?ovi?, Energy Commissioner and Vice President of the EU Commission, who said: “Wind energy is the heart of EU renewable energies industry.”

WindEnergy Hamburg features exhibitors from 34 nations, presenting their innovative products and services on the four days up to 30 September, including many world premieres. The world’s leading global wind industry expo is the only one to cover both the onshore and offshore sectors of the wind industry. The WindEurope Summit has an extensive programme lined up with presentations and lectures by some 500 experts at the Congress Center Hamburg (CCH) up to 29 September, with the overall theme “Making transition work.”

Federal Minister Sigmar Gabriel: “The wind industry is unquestionably a global growth market, with Germany as a major innovation driver. In 2015, the growth rate for new wind turbines in Europe was 6%, adding 13GW, while global growth was 17%, adding 60GW. In the present legislative session, we have structured the Energy Transition and made it plannable, so that this vital market can continue to grow in the future. We have set key parameters for the next phase of the Energy Transition, with the latest reform of the Renewable Energy Act, the Electricity Market Act and digitisation of the Energy Transition. This new phase will be characterised by a growing share of renewable energies and increasing digitisation throughout the energy system.”

All nine halls completely booked – record breaking expo and WindEurope Summit

“This year we have 1,436 exhibitors, that is about 200 more than in 2014,” said Bernd Aufderheide, President and CEO Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH. The proportion of international exhibitors is also higher at 44%, substantially more than in the premiere year 2014. “The figures show that the concept as the world’s leading wind industry expo is convincing, and is accepted by the global market,” he added. WindEnergy Hamburg has been enlarged, with addition of a further exhibition hall. “That means WindEnergy now occupies a total of nine halls, with some 65,000 square metres – and they are all fully booked!”

The conference WindEurope Summit run by WindEurope, the European wind industry association, will be held side-by-side with the expo for the first time. “Together these two events are the industry’s most important international meeting point for know-how transfer, which is key to mastering the existing challenges – they are the global summit meeting for wind energy,” said Bernd Aufderheide.

WindEurope as Europe's leading trade association in the wind energy business with 500 members was represented by its CEO Giles Dickson: “The industry is gathering this week for the WindEurope Summit in Hamburg at a critical juncture for Europe’s energy future. We’ve a great conference programme with over 300 speakers across 50 sessions. Delegates will get to hear inspiring speakers from the industry and beyond. And they'll have unrivalled business and networking opportunities”, said Dickson.  “Whether it’s technology or market developments, policy, finance, costs, public acceptance, repowering, storage, digitisation, electrification of transport/heating, corporate PPAs or the implications of Brexit – the WindEurope Summit 2016 has it covered.” 

EU Commissioner underscores role of wind power as driving force

Maro? ©ef?ovi?, EU Commission Vice President and responsible within the EU Commission for the Energy Union, pointed out: “All of us here today agree that the Energy Transition is a business case. It’s not about Energy Transition, it’s about economic transition.”  Commenting on the goals agreed at the UN Climate Summit in Paris, ©ef?ovi? said “We want to accelerate the success of renewables. Wind energy plays a key role in that.” By 2030 at least 50% of electricity demand and 27% of total energy consumption is to be covered by renewables. “It is quite clear,” said ©ef?ovi? “that this is the only way forward.”

All the key international players are using WindEnergy Hamburg to present themselves to the global industry and to close deals. The exhibitors include the leading turbine manufacturers and component suppliers, project developers and energy supply companies, and specialists from all areas of the wind industry. WindEnergy Hamburg and the WindEurope Summit offer decision makers from the energy sector in mature and emerging markets a great many opportunities to make useful leads for further business development, and to find out about the latest trends. Those include solutions for the major challenges of our times such as combating climate change and cutting carbon emissions by means of smart grids, storage technologies and digitisation. A large proportion of the innovations and further developments in Hamburg are aimed at reducing power purchase costs. The topics covered at the conference include environmental impacts & social acceptance, finance, grid integration, resource assessment, the supply chain, and turbine technology.