One of the most seismic changes to the global wind industry since the last WindEnergy Hamburg conference in 2024 was the re-election of Donald Trump as US president later that year. It’s fair to say that the fears of the global wind industry for the health of the previously vibrant US wind industry following the election of the notoriously anti-wind president were not only justified but exceeded their worst expectations.

More broadly, some of the challenges facing global wind power remain stubbornly familiar. As Andreas Arnheim, the director of WindEnergy Hamburg, says in our exclusive interview for this supplement, grid infrastructure suitable for wind energy remains elusive and requires“better alignment” between policymakers and the industry. But as Arnheim also makes clear, the energy transition is increasingly a system-wide challenge, bringing grids, storage, digitalisation, flexibility and energy security into sharper focus.

Those themes are reflected throughout this supplement. Our cover interview with Arnheim looks at how the industry can turn ambitious deployment targets into concrete projects, while also examining the growth of onshore wind, the prospects for offshore wind and where AI and digitalisation can make a meaningful difference.

We also revisit five of the biggest questions tackled by the Windpower Monthly podcast since Hamburg 2024, from turbines with power ratings that continue to grow and the rise of Chinese OEMs to the prospects for floating wind. Our look at this year’s Wind Power List highlights ten new industry leaders, while we also examine the next generation of O&M and how predictive maintenance, data and new intervention methods could improve the performance of increasingly complex offshore assets.

Hamburg remains an opportunity to showcase the technology and innovation that characterise this vibrant industry, and for people at every level of it to come together and learn. That is one of the reasons Windpower Monthly values its ongoing role as the official podcast partner to the conference.

Ian Griggs

Editor, Windpower Monthly