EWEA - The European Wind Energy Association

Show all / Hide all

What is the wind?

The Earth is surrounded by the atmosphere, which is made up of air. Air is a mixture of gas, and solid and liquid particles. Energy from the sun heats up the atmosphere and the Earth unevenly. Cold air contains more air particles than warm air. Cold air is therefore heavier and sinks down through the atmosphere, creating high pressure areas. Warm air rises through the atmosphere, creating low pressure areas. The air tries to balance out the low and high pressure areas – air particles move from areas of high pressure (cold air) to areas of low pressure (warm air). This movement of air is known as the wind.

The wind is also influenced by the movement of the Earth. As it turns on its axis the air does not travel directly from areas of higher pressure to areas of lower pressure. Instead, the air is pushed to the west in the northern hemisphere and to the east in the southern hemisphere. This is known as the Coriolis force.
The Earth’s surface is marked with trees, buildings, lakes, sea, hills and valleys, all of which also influence the wind’s direction and speed. For example, where warm land and cool sea meet, the difference in temperature creates thermal effects, which causes local sea breezes.

How can you measure the wind?

Wind is usually measured by its speed and direction. Wind atlases show the distribution of wind speeds on a broad scale, giving a graphical representation of mean wind speed (for a specified height) across an area. They are compiled by local meteorological station measurements or other wind-related recorded data.  Traditionally, wind speed is measured by anemometers – usually three cups that capture the wind rotating around a vertical axis. The wind direction is measured with weather vanes.
After measuring wind data for at least one year, the mean annual wind speed can be calculated. Wind speed and wind direction statistics are visualised in a wind rose, showing the statistical repartition of wind speed per direction.

Wind statistics show the best sites to locate wind farms according to the best wind resources. They also provide further information on how the turbines should be positioned in relation to each other and what the distance between the turbines should be.

What is a wind turbine?

A wind turbine transforms the kinetic energy of the wind into mechanical or electrical energy.

Wind turbines consist of a foundation, a tower, a nacelle and a rotor. The foundation prevents the turbine from falling over; it is usually 13m across and 1-2m deep. The tower holds up the rotor and a nacelle (or box). The nacelle contains large primary components such as the main axle, gearbox, generator, transformer and control system. The rotor is made of the blades and the hub, which holds them in position as they turn. Most commercial wind turbines have three rotor blades. The length of the blades can be more than 60 metres.

Click here to see how a wind turbine works!

How big is a wind turbine?

The average size of onshore turbines being manufactured today is around 2.5-3 MW. One 2.5 MW onshore turbine produces power for over 1,500 average EU households.
The largest onshore turbine is a 7 MW turbine with a rotor diameter of 127 m.
Offshore turbines can reach up to 5 MW or more, with a rotor diameter of 120 metres – longer than a football field and powering around 3000 average EU households.

What is a wind turbine made of?

The towers are mostly tubular and made of steel or concrete, generally painted light grey. The blades are made of glass-fibre reinforced polyester or wood-epoxy. They are light grey because it is inconspicuous under most lighting conditions. The finish is matt, to reduce reflected light.

How is a wind farm designed?

There are many factors at play when designing a wind farm. Ideally, the area should be as wide and open as possible in the prevailing wind direction, with few obstacles. Its visual influence needs to be considered – few, larger turbines are usually better than many smaller ones. The turbines need to be easily accessible for maintenance and repair work when needed. Noise levels can be calculated so the farm is compatible with the levels of sound stipulated in national legislation. The turbine supplier defines the minimum turbine spacing, taking into account the effect one turbine can have on others nearby – the ‘wake effect’. Then, the right type of turbine must be chosen. This depends on the wind conditions and landscape features of the location, local/national rules such as on turbine height, noise levels and nature conservation, the risk of extreme events such as earthquakes, how easy it is to transport the turbines to the site and the local availability of cranes.

How long does it take to build a wind farm?

Construction time is usually very short – a 10 MW wind farm can easily be built in two months. A larger 50 MW wind farm can be ready in 18 months to two years. Most of that time is needed for measuring the wind and obtaining construction permits. Building the wind farm itself usually takes only 6 months.

What are the costs of building a wind farm?

Costs vary but the major cost is the turbine itself. This is a capital cost that has to be paid up front and typically accounts for 75% of the costs. Once it is up and running there are few costs – and of course no fuel and carbon costs.
The cost of installing wind turbines is assumed to be 1,225 €/kWh.

How efficient are wind turbines?

The theoretical maximum energy which a wind turbine can extract from the wind blowing across is just under 60%.

Why do some wind turbines have two and others three blades?

The optimum number of blades for a wind turbine depends on the job the turbine has to do. Turbines for generating electricity need to operate at high speeds, but do not need much turning force. These machines generally have three or two blades. On the other hand, wind pumps need turning force but not much speed and therefore have many blades.

The majority of modern commercial wind turbines have three blades, as this design has been found to have a greater aesthetic appeal.
Two bladed machines are cheaper and lighter, with higher running speeds which reduces the cost of the gearbox, and they are easier to install. However they can be noisier and are not as visually attractive, appearing 'jerky' when they turn.

Why do some of the turbines in a wind farm sometimes stand still?

Turbines sometimes have to be stopped for maintenance, for repairing components or if there is a failure that needs to be checked. Another reason can be too little or too much wind: if the wind is too strong, the turbine needs to be shut down because it could be damaged.

How much space does a wind farm need?

In a wind farm the turbines themselves take up less than 1% of the land area. Existing activities like farming and tourism can take place around them and animals like cows and sheep are not disturbed.

Could I put a turbine in my garden or on the roof of my house?

More and more householders, communities and small businesses are interested in generating their own electricity by using small scale wind turbines, either on their roofs or in their back gardens. If you are interested in how you can power your home or business with your own turbine, then contact your national wind energy association for more information on how this works in your country.

Click here to find your national association.

Who makes wind turbines?

Click here to find out about wind turbine manufacturers.

Why don't we put all wind turbines out to sea?

At present, onshore wind is more economical than development offshore. Furthermore, offshore wind farms take longer to develop, as the sea is inherently a more hostile environment. To expect offshore to be the only form of wind generation allowed would therefore be to condemn us to miss our renewable energy targets and commitment to tackle climate change. However, in the coming years, as offshore turbines are manufactured on a larger scale, prices will come down, making offshore wind energy increasingly competitive. Enough wind blows over European seas to power Europe seven times over, making offshore wind a highly viable option to exploit.

How many wind turbines are there in the EU?

Across the EU there are around 60,000 turbines. Some countries have far more wind power capacity installed per km2 than others. Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain have the highest wind power densities, while Slovakia, Romania, Slovenia, Malta and Cyprus have very low turbine densities. 

 

How long does a wind turbine work for?

Wind turbines can carry on generating electricity for 20-25 years. Over their lifetime they will be running continuously for as much as 120,000 hours. This compares with the design lifetime of a car engine, which is 4,000 to 6,000 hours.

 

How much of the time does a turbine work?

Wind turbines start operating at wind speeds of 4 to 5 metres per second and reach maximum power output at around 15 metres/second. At very high wind speeds, i.e. gale force winds, (25 metres/second) wind turbines shut down. A modern wind turbine produces electricity 70-85% of the time, but it generates different outputs depending on the wind speed.
Over the course of a year, it will typically generate about 30% of the theoretical maximum output (higher offshore). This is known as its capacity factor. The capacity factor of conventional power stations is on average 50%. Because of stoppages for maintenance or breakdowns, no power plant generates power for 100% of the time.

 

How fast do the blades turn?

The blades rotate at anything between 15-20 revolutions per minute at constant speed. However, an increasing number of machines operate at variable speed, where the rotor speed increases and decreases according to the wind speed.

 

Show all / Hide all

What is a megawatt, what is a kilowatt-hour?

The ability to generate electricity is measured in watts. Watts are very small units, so the terms kilowatt (kW, 1,000 watts), megawatt (MW, 1 million watts), and gigawatt (GW, 1 billion watts) are most commonly used to describe the capacity of generating units like wind turbines or other power plants.

Electricity production and consumption are most commonly measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh). A kilowatt-hour means one kilowatt (1,000 watts) of electricity produced or consumed for one hour. One 50-watt light bulb left on for 20 hours consumes one kilowatt-hour of electricity (50 watts x 20 hours = 1,000 watt-hours = 1 kilowatt-hour

How much electricity can one wind turbine generate?

The output of a wind turbine depends on the turbine's size and the wind's speed through the rotor. Wind turbines manufactured today have power ratings ranging from 250 watts to 7 MW.
A turbine with a capacity of 2.5 – 3 MW can produce more than 6 million kWh in a year – enough to supply 1,500 average EU households with electricity.

How much electricity is created from wind in Europe?

The 74.767 GW of wind power capacity installed by the end of 2009 would, in a normal wind year, produce 163 TWh of power, equal to 4.8% of the EU’s electricity demand.
Wind already provides 20% of the power in Denmark, 9% in Spain and 7% in Germany. By 2020, EWEA expects 230 GW of wind power capacity to supply 14-17% of the EU’s then electricity demand. This could increase to 400GW in 2030, equivalent to up to 26-35% of EU demand.

How does a wind turbine produce electricity?

The wind passes over the blades creating lift (like an aircraft wing) which causes the rotor to turn. The blades turn a low-speed shaft inside the nacelle: gears connect the low speed shaft of the rotor with a high speed shaft that drives a generator. Here, the slow rotation speed of the blades is increased to the high speed of generator revolution). Some wind turbines do not contain a gearbox and instead use a direct drive mechanism to produce power from the generator.
The rapidly spinning shaft drives the generator to produce electric energy. Electricity from the generator goes to a transformer which converts it to the right voltage for the distribution system. The electricity is then transmitted via the electricity network.

What happens when the wind stops blowing?

The grid operator constantly matches the electricity generation available to electricity demand, and wind energy’s variability is just one more variable in the mix. No power plant is 100% reliable, and the electricity grid can easily be designed to cope with power plants shutting down unexpectedly, and the wind not blowing. Wind is variable, but predictable. Wind farm sites are chosen after careful analysis (to determine the pattern of the wind including its relative strength and direction at different times of the day and year). This enables a forecast of likely output to be made, information which can be made available to the network operators who will distribute the electricity.

In the future, once a truly European electricity grid has been constructed, wind-powered electricity will be able to be traded between EU countries to balance out supply and demand even more easily. Other renewables such as solar will also form part of this electricity exchange.

What is the grid and how does it work?

Electricity is distributed to the consumers via the grid:  the physical infrastructure of the electricity network. The grid is made up of transmission and distribution networks. The transmission network – made up of the cables and pylons you see dotting the countryside – moves electrical power with a high voltage over long distances, and sometimes across international boundaries. The consumers are connected to the distribution system, which has a medium voltage level. The link between the Transmission and Distribution network is a substation. At this substation the power is stepped down in voltage from the transmission to the distribution voltage level. Once it reaches its final destination, the power is stepped down again to the required local level.
Large conventional power plants are usually connected to the transmission network whereas for renewables, like wind, generators are connected to both the transmission and distribution network, usually depending on the size of the plant and network availability.
Historically, Europe’s electricity grids have operated within national borders and were dominated by national, publicly-owned power companies. This has made it difficult for newcomers, such as wind producers, to access the network. In 2009, the EU institutions published a new legislation (the ‘third liberalisation package’) aiming to open up the power markets to competition and make them more able to accept new generation technologies.
To ensure fair competition, former national power companies now have to split up their power transmission and generation assets, although they can choose to retain some ownership over them. This is known as ‘unbundling’. However, to make electricity market rules even fairer for renewable energies, production and transmission activities of power companies should be completely independent in terms of ownership – known as ‘full unbundling’.
Today, national grids are increasing their interconnection capacity with nearby countries.

What is a Transmission System Operator?

In the electricity sector, a transmission system operator (TSO) is a company that transmits electrical power from generation plants to regional or local electricity Distribution System Operators (DSO). It is responsible for operating, maintaining and developing the transmission system for its own control area and its interconnectors. At a European level, ENTSO-E (the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity) is an association of European TSOs. It aims to increase integration between electricity markets in the EU, establish network codes which will define rules for cross-border grid management and develop a Pan-European ten-year plan for grid development.

Why do we need a European supergrid?

Much of today’s electricity grid was built 40-60 years ago. It was built around large fossil-fuel burning power stations usually sited near large urban areas, plus some nuclear power stations in some countries. European grids are also largely national grids, although some inter-connections between countries have created regional networks in some parts of our continent.
In order to harness the power of renewable energy, including wind, the grid has to be extended to where the resource is located: i.e. where the wind blows most frequently, and where the sun shines the brightest. For wind, this includes out to sea, and in some remoter land areas. To ensure a constant supply of electricity from wind and other renewable energy sources, the grid needs to be expanded so that it can deliver power from where the wind is blowing to where it is needed.
The grid also needs to be better inter-connected to improve security of supply– regardless of the source of energy – and in order to improve competition in the electricity market, which would bring down prices. A supergrid might also use more modern cables that lose less electricity in transit.       
So there are many reasons why Europe needs a supergrid and, although it would involve considerable investments, the fact is that over the next 12 years, Europe must build new power capacity nearly equal to half the current total. The opportunity is there to make a more modern system that meets tomorrow’s energy, social, environmental and economic needs.

Can wind deliver enough electricity? Is it reliable?

Today, in Denmark, approximately 20 % of electricity demand is already supplied by the wind, and is managed successfully by the Transmission System Operator. In Spain some 12% of electricity demand is met by wind, and at times wind provides over half the electricity needed.  
The grid operator constantly matches the electricity generation available to electricity demand, and wind energy’s variability is just one more variable in the mix.
It is possible to achieve 100% renewables by 2050. Wind as Europe’s leading renewable energy source will provide the biggest proportion of this – around 50% - and other renewables such as solar will also play a role.

Show all / Hide all

What are a turbine’s lifetime emissions?

Wind turbines produce no greenhouse gas emissions during their operation. It takes a turbine just three to six months to produce the amount of energy that goes into its manufacture, installation, operation, maintenance and decommissioning after its 20-25 year lifetime. During its lifetime a wind turbine delivers up to 80 times more energy than is used in its production, maintenance and scrapping. Wind energy has the lowest ‘lifecycle emissions’ of all energy production technologies (see graph).

What other environmental benefits does wind power bring?

Wind energy emits no toxic substances such as mercury and air pollutants like smog-creating nitrogen oxides, acid rain-forming sulphur dioxide and particulate deposits. These pollutants can trigger cancer, heart disease, asthma and other respiratory diseases, can acidify terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, and corrode buildings.
Wind energy creates no radioactive waste or water pollution. It uses no water, unlike other power sources and causes no environmental damage through fuel extraction or waste management.

How much of our daily CO2 emissions can wind avoid?

Each year we release millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide by burning fossil fuels (oil, coal and gas).
In 2007, the 27 European Union member states emitted 5,045 million tonnes of CO₂. On average, every single citizen emitted 10.2 t – that’s the same size as almost eleven three-storey buildings filled with CO₂.

In 2008, the average European citizen consumed 1,712 kWh of electricity, which - if he or she was only using power generated by fossil fuels - amounts to 1,140 kg of CO₂ per person per year. That means that just through average electricity use, every single citizen could be over the 1 t/year CO₂ allowance that scientists define as safe for the planet.

For every kWh powered by wind energy that you use, you do not emit any CO₂; in contrast, you will not emit approximately 666g of CO₂. Choosing how your electricity is produced play in protecting the climate.

EWEA estimates that wind energy avoided the emission of 106 million tonnes of CO₂ in 2009 in the EU, equivalent to taking 25% of cars in the EU – 53 million vehicles – off the road. This avoided CO₂ costs of around €2.4 billion (assuming a price of €22,6/t CO₂.

 

Do wind turbines harm animals, birds and marine life?

Big environmental and nature conservation groups like WWF, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, and Birdlife support wind energy.
Wind farms are always subject to an Environmental Impact Assessment to ensure that their potential effect on the immediate surroundings, including fauna and flora, are carefully considered before construction is allowed to start. Deaths from birds flying into wind turbines represent only a small fraction of those caused by other human-related sources such as airplanes and buildings. In Europe, a 2003 study in Navarra (Spain) of 692 turbines in 18 wind farms found that the annual mortality rate of medium and large birds was 0.13 per turbine. In the UK, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) stated that "in the UK, we have not so far witnessed any major adverse effects on birds associated with wind farms". It has been estimated that wind turbines in the US cause the direct deaths of only 0.01-0.02% of all of the birds killed annually by collisions with man-made structures and activities.
In addition, impacts from offshore wind power are extremely low compared with other human-related activities. It can even have local positive effects on biodiversity, and offers an opportunity to practice ecological restoration both onshore and offshore, such as creation of new vegetation and animal habitats, improved fish stocks and other marine life.
Wind farms are popular with farmers, since their land can continue to be used for growing crops or grazing livestock. Sheep, cows and horses are not disturbed by wind turbines. While the construction of an offshore farm can result in some habitat destruction, an offshore farm can also protect fish from large scale commercial fishing activities.

How popular are wind farms?

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and whether you think a wind turbine is attractive or not will always be your personal opinion. A 2007 Eurobarometer survey found that 71% of EU citizens are very positive about wind energy, led by the Danes (93%), Greeks (88%) and Cypriots (83%). Only solar power reaches a slightly higher acceptance level (80%), whereas gas is supported by 42%, coal by 26% and nuclear power by just 20%.

Are wind turbines noisy?

The noise of wind turbines has been reduced significantly. Improved design has drastically reduced the noise of mechanical components so that the most audible sound is that of the wind interacting with the rotor blades. This is similar to a light swishing sound, and much quieter than other types of modern-day equipment. Even in generally quiet rural areas, the sound of the blowing wind is often louder than the turbines.

Do wind turbines harm human health?

Wind energy is one of the cleanest, most environmentally-friendly energy sources. It emits no greenhouse gases or air pollutants. It emits no particles, unlike fossil fuels, which are carcinogenic and severely affect human health. Sounds or vibrations emitted from wind turbines have no adverse effect on human health.

Show all / Hide all

Why is wind power good for the economy?

The European Commission calculates that meeting Europe’s target of 20% renewable energy by 2020 will create 2.8 million jobs, many of which will be in the wind industry.

Practically every turbine erected in Europe is manufactured in Europe. Wind energy employs over 190,000 people in Europe. European companies are the world leaders in wind energy with a 60% share of the world market in 2008.

Furthermore, it encourages European money and investments within Europe. It also reduces the exposure of European economies to price volatility, by making the region less dependent on fuel imports from politically unstable areas at unpredictable prices.

Rising fuel and carbon prices increase the competitiveness of wind-generated power that comes at a zero fuel cost and zero CO2 cost. Wind power can also lower electricity prices by bringing more competition into the electricity market.

How much does it cost to make electricity from the wind?

In 2007, the cost of producing electricity from wind energy ranged from approximately 6-8 € cents/kWh at sites with low to medium average wind speeds down to 4-5 € cents/kWh at good coastal sites.

Historically, the costs per produced kWh for new turbines have fallen by between 9% and 17% for each doubling of installed capacity. At a coastal position, for example, the average cost has decreased from approximately 9.2 € cents/kWh for a 95 kW turbine in the mid-1980s to around 5.3 € cents/kWh for a 2 MW machine now.

Looking ahead, by 2010 the cost of production from a medium-sized turbine (up to 1.5 MW) at a coastal site could be as low as 5 to 6.5 € cents/kWh.

For comparison, the European Commission puts the cost of new combined cycle gas generation at 3.5-4.5 € cents/kWh and combined cycle coal at 4-5 € cents/kWh, however these figures do not allow for any fuel and carbon price volatility. A 2004 Massachusetts Institute of Technology study estimated the cost of nuclear generation at 5.1 € cents/kWh, however this does not take into account the very long construction period needed for a nuclear power plant which, by the time it is built, can double the final cost of the power produced.

How does the cost of wind power compare to fossil fuels?

The cost of electricity powered by fossil fuels is made up of four parts – fuel costs, CO2 costs, operation and maintenance costs and capital costs (including planning and site work). For wind energy, only two of these – operation and maintenance and capital costs – apply. In 2008, the International Energy Agency (IEA) published its World Energy Outlook with predictions on the future costs of coal, gas and wind power in 2015 and 2030. The Agency expects new wind power capacity to be cheaper than coal and gas! The IEA assumed that a CO2 price of $30 per tonne of CO2 adds $30 to every MWh of electricity powered by coal, and $15 to every MWh of electricity powered by gas. By 2015, coal will cost €82/MWh, gas will cost €101/MWh and wind power will cost less than both at €75/MWh.

Because the fuel for wind power production does not have a cost,  the overall cost of wind power can be predicted with great certainty, unlike the fluctuations in the price of oil, gas and coal. Wind energy is indigenous and unlimited; the more wind power Europe produces, the less reliant it is on fossil fuels at unpredictable prices. In contrast, the increase in the price of a barrel of oil over the past few years from $20 to $80 has added $45 billion to the EU’s annual gas import bill.

There are other costs not necessarily reflected in the price of electricity: the environmental, health and security costs. All conventional energy sources have far higher ‘external’ costs than wind.

Is wind power competitive?

Yes it is once all costs - like fuel and CO2 costs (which are highly volatile), and the effects on environment and health - are included. For CO2 costs alone - If a cost of €30 per tonne of CO2 was applied to emissions from fossil fuel power stations, onshore wind energy would be the cheapest source of new power generation in Europe.

There is still a vast untapped wind potential in Europe. The European Environment Agency states that the economically competitive potential of wind energy in 2020 is three times greater than expected electricity demand, and in 2030 is seven times greater than expected electricity demand.

What does the ETS mean for wind energy and how will it benefit consumers?

Under the Emission Trading System (ETS) 10 000 large CO2 emitters – power and heat producers, oil refineries, steel manufacturers, cement manufacturers, glass manufacturers, bricks and ceramics, and the paper industry -  are able to buy and sell permits to emit CO2.

The ETS works by setting a CO2 cap, or a CO2 allowance, on how much the big polluters can emit. Companies that exceed their CO2 allowance are either fined or allowed to buy unused allowances from greener companies. Buying allowances (at an auction) is cheaper than the fine imposed on companies that exceed their CO2 limit, thereby creating an incentive for companies to reduce their CO2 by investing in green technologies like wind power to reduce their own CO2 emissions and create revenue from selling CO2 allowances.

One MWh of electricity produced by coal emits about a tonne of CO2, one MWh of electricity produced by gas emits about half a tonne of CO2, whereas wind-powered electricity emits no CO2. If gas and coal producers have to pay for their CO2 emissions, wind power becomes comparatively cheaper since its CO2 costs are zero. The zero-cost of CO2 ,in addition to the savings from the zero-fuel costs involved in producing wind power, means lower electricity prices for consumers since the wind-powered electricity companies will pass the savings on to the consumer. Once this happens on a wide scale, the polluting power technologies will be pushed out of the electricity market as they become comparatively too expensive compared to wind.

What is a feed-in tariff?

There are different forms of subsidies for electricity from renewable energy sources in the European Union. The most common support mechanism for electricity from renewable energy sources is the feed-in tariff.

A feed-in tariff is an economic instrument designed to encourage the implementation of a policy. For wind, it typically includes: guaranteed grid access, long-term (15-25 year) contracts for the energy produced, and purchase prices that are based on the cost of generating renewable energy. Under a feed-in tariff, regional or national electricity utilities must buy renewable electricity. These instruments allow renewables to be developed, and investors to get a reasonable return on renewable energy investments.

From 2009, feed-in tariffs were in place in Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.

Does wind depend on subsidies?

No electricity generating capacity technology has been developed, introduced and become competitive without initial support.

Economic incentives are designed to encourage technological improvement, increased renewable capacity to achieve climate protection targets and cost reductions. It encourages new business and investment. In most countries the incentives decrease in value as wind power becomes more economically viable.

Can wind power increase security of supply?

Currently, the EU imports 54% of its energy and this is set to increase to 70% by 2030. Not only is it reliant on other countries for over half its fuel, but Europe is dependent on regions and countries of the world such as the Middle East and Russia. Using an indigenous source of energy such as the wind means the EU could be self-reliant, fuelling its own power.

A growing number of organisations are arguing that Europe could and should get all its electricity from renewable – European – sources by 2050: making it energy independent.

Does wind energy create jobs?

The wind industry currently employs 192,000 people (direct and indirect) in Europe.

People work in manufacturing of components and turbines, the installation and maintenance of wind farms, wind farm planning, and wind forecasting.

Direct employment has increased by 125% between 2002 and 2007, that means 33 new people were employed every day, seven days a week, in that period.

By 2020 the wind energy sector is expected to employ 450,000 people by 2020.

What can I do to find a job in wind energy?

Check out EWEA’s job portal