WindEurope’s Annual Conference took place in Copenhagen from 8-10 April 2025

The past year has been a watershed for Europe. And we have a brand new European Commission – and many new national Governments as well. But with rising competition from China, and new political realities in the United States, the energy debate in Europe has shifted too. Enhancing our global competitiveness is the number one domestic priority for the new Commission.

One thing is clear – delivering clean, homegrown renewable energy will be at the heart of meeting this challenge. And wind energy is leading the charge.

See the programme Access the proceedings

The event tagline – Scale Up, Electrify, Deliver – reflected our most urgent priorities as an industry – and the steps we need to take to put wind at the heart of Europe’s competitiveness:

• Scale-up: Building a robust supply chain, boosting Europe’s clean tech manufacturing, and creating a resilient energy system.
• Electrify: Cutting energy costs, matching grid buildout, creating demand for low carbon products, and using state aid to electrify industrial processes.
• Deliver: Creating a good business case for wind, a good auction design, good system planning, and a better permitting regime.

See the speakers     See the posters

During the three-day conference in Copenhagen, we examined these objectives, the state of our industry today, and what needs to change to maximize the value of wind for Europe.

The conference featured over 70 sessions in the main halls and at stages across the venue. We heard from more than 350 speakers, including representatives from Governments, industry, NGOs, academia, conservation, financial institutions, and local communities.

Key Takeaways from the Conference

The wind industry launched the ‘Copenhagen Call to Action’ during the event, highlighting three critical steps to boost Europe’s energy independence and competitiveness

• Apply the new EU permitting rules: These rules have proven effective, with Germany now permitting seven times as much onshore wind as five years ago. Additionally, filtering out zombie projects from grid connection queues is essential to unclog the system.
• Remove barriers to electrification: Allow industry to receive state aid to electrify with renewable Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), which are not just for onsite power. Removing non-energy taxes and charges from electricity bills will make renewables an obvious choice for consumers.
• De-risk wind investments: Establish a stable pipeline of two-sided Contract for Difference (CfD) auctions. CfDs improve costs of capital and visibility on revenues, providing good value for Governments.

We emphasized the importance of secure, affordable, and sustainable energy for maintaining European influence in the global economy. Wind energy is already driving industrial growth and energy independence across Europe, but scaling up is crucial to meet these goals.

The Copenhagen Call to Action was a pivotal moment at the conference, bringing together over 15,000 attendees to discuss and agree on the necessary steps to achieve these objectives.

We hope you found plenty of value in this year’s conference and made your voice heard. Thank you for joining us in Copenhagen this April and we look forward to seeing many of you again in Madrid!