Wind Power Windpower Monthly

This time on the news review: Our panellists discuss the continuing issues with Siemens Gamesa’s 4X platform, after a wind project supplied with the turbines in Norway was shut down when a turbine blade broke.
A Russian drone attack on a Ukrainian energy substation left 200,000 people without power but are wind turbines are more resilient than other energy infrastructure and is wind power becoming emblematic of Ukraine’s - and the EU’s - resistance to Russia’s aggression?
Meanwhile, two reports showed respectively that Chinese manufacturers dominated global turbine supply in 2023 and that US turbine firm GE Vernova similarly dominated the US market. But is China is caught in a trap of its own making, with more than 95% of the supplied turbines installed in its domestic market, and is GE Vernova also playing it safe on home turf?
Meanwhile, the UK government approved an additional £800m to boost strike prices for offshore wind in the forthcoming AR6 tender round but wind industry voices are still calling it a missed opportunity - are they right?
And finally, what were our panellists most important takeaways from WindEurope’s annual conference in Bilbao?
This episode was produced by Inga Marsden


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Experts from across the industry discuss how to optimise blade performance and reduce the cost of operations and maintenance.
Recorded at our Blades USA conference, held in Austin, Texas, earlier this year, this episode of the Wind Power podcast features speakers from Vestas, RWE, the Electric Power Research Institute in the US, Envision and Aerones.
What emerged loud and clear from the discussions is just how far the industry has come over the last decade but also the challenges brought by the rapid growth in blade length in recent years.
Bigger blades bring bigger challenges and blade failures can happen in unexpected ways. In an industry where the cost of maintenance and downtime can be very high, identifying whether a blade defect is cosmetic or structural and, crucially, how much time there is before that defect turns critical, is becoming increasingly important.
According to our experts, drones, robotics and artificial intelligence will all increasingly play their part as this industry develops, particularly given the workforce challenges facing the industry and the limited weather windows for carrying out blade maintenance.
This episode features Noah Myrent, a senior technical leader at the Electric Power Research Institute, Kevin Standish, director of the Global Blade Innovation Center at Envision Energy, Pasquale Braione, head of global repair at Vestas, Arnold Wilmink, VP of reliability engineering for the Americas at RWE and Greta Krumina, regional manager for North America at Aerones.
The episode was produced by by Inga Marsden


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This time in the news review: Major Western wind companies have released quarterly and full-year results but what do they tell us about the overall health of the wind industry? Meanwhile, several wind giants have announced – in the wake of their financial results – that they will narrow their focus on markets, but what is the strategy and what does it mean for the markets not chosen?
Following their joint award of the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering last month, wind industry pioneers Henrik Stiesdal and Andrew Garrad told Windpower Monthly that the so-called turbine ‘arms race’ must stop – but is anyone listening, especially developers?
Finally, we ask our panellists how they think geopolitical events – such as Russia’s war in Ukraine, the continuing attacks on merchant shipping in the red sea and Donald Trump becoming the presumptive Republican nominee in the forthcoming US presidential elections – are affecting the wind industry.
To listen, simply click on the 'play' button in the graphic above, or follow and download Wind Power on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other platforms.
This episode was produced by Nav Pal and Inga Marsden


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WindEurope chair and Nordex CEO José Luis Blanco discusses EU policy, a looming trade war with China and whether the consensus on the energy transition is holding two years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Speaking ahead of trade body WindEurope’s annual three-day conference - to be held in Bilbao from March 20 - Blanco examines some of the key policy developments to emerge since the start of the year, including the European Wind Charter and the forthcoming Net Zero Industry Act.
In episode 22 of the Wind Power Podcast, Blanco explains the significance of these policy developments for European turbine firms, developers and the wider supply chain.
Blanco also gave his opinion on whether a trade war between the EU and China is likely in the coming years and what the effect of that might be on the industry.
And he gave his thoughts on whether the hard-won consensus on the urgent need to transition towards renewables and away from reliance on Russian gas, forged in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine, is still intact two years on.
This episode was produced by Czarina Deen. 


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What do the winning entries in this year’s Turbines of the Year awards tell us about the trends at work in wind power technology and why did the gold medallists win?
In episode 21 of the Wind Power podcast, Windpower Monthly’s editor and deputy editor are joined by technology and market trends correspondent – and Turbines of the Year judge – Eize de Vries to discuss the awards  
Last month, Windpower Monthly published the winners of the coveted Turbines of the Year awards. The categories included onshore and offshore wind turbines, blades, drivetrains and innovations. 
But what do the winning entries in each category tell us about the wider trends influencing the fast-paced world of wind power and what new technologies could be announced this year? 
Meanwhile, what must wind power technology companies do to enter the next Turbines of the Year awards and what are the ingredients of a winning entry?
This episode was produced by Czarina Deen. 


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Welcome to the ‘Wind Power’ news review – hosted by Windpower Monthly’s editor, Claire Warren, and deputy editor, Ian Griggs, with a panel of expert guests.
This time in the news review: An academic has reopened the debate on turbine sizes, claiming that bigger is better after all, while it also emerged that Siemens Gamesa is due to test the prototype of a new offshore turbine which could be the most powerful in the world - is the fragile consensus among Western OEMs on turbine sizes about to be broken?
Also, two separate reports reveal a similar truth: we are not moving fast enough on wind power installation targets to meet ambitious COP28 and EU goals, but what can be done about it?
Meanwhile, developers suffered a series of legal setbacks over the last few weeks over threats to endangered species and trespassing on land. As the rate of deployment increases, legal challenges will become more common and the wind industry will have to up its game on community engagement or risk more court battles.
Finally, we ask whether floating wind technology is progressing as originally hoped and we ask our panellists for their predictions for the year ahead in wind.
Our panellists are Shashi Barla - director and head of research in renewable energy at the Brinkman Group – and by Will Sheard - director of analysis and due diligence at the consultancy firm K2 Management.
This episode was produced by Czarina Deen and Inga Marsden

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