The 14th edition of the WindEnergy trend:index (WEtix) reveals that the mood in the wind energy market is brightening further in the longer term in both, the onshore and offshore segments, a fact that marks a return to the optimistic trends seen before last year. Compiled at six-month intervals since 2018, and issued by the global flagship fair WindEnergy Hamburg in collaboration with wind:research, a leading market research institute for wind energy, the survey also shows that the economic environment in the Asian market is now seen in a markedly better light than in the remaining regions of the world, with Asia’s onshore segment receiving the best marks ever. Permitting and regulatory matters as well as grid expansion, and in particular, the costs in the offshore segment continue to be major challenges for the industry.Furthermore, turbines are getting larger and larger, and they are doing so faster than previously anticipated.
Market participants are currently viewing the development of both the onshore and offshore segments in Germany with mixed feelings. While respondents are assessing the prospects for the German onshore wind energy market in the next 12 months better than ever in this survey, the mood for the offshore segment has darkened for the same period, while still clearly remaining in the positive range. As for the longer term, the industry is more optimistic about the developments in both segments now than last spring. The picture looks quite different for the European market, where the mood is cautiously positive for the onshore segment while trending slightly downwards for offshore in the shorter as well as the longer term.
A development echoed in the remaining world regions. At the same time, there are growing discrepancies between the assessments of the legal, political and social business environment on the one hand, and of the individual markets – especially so in the offshore segment – on the other.
Despite mostly positive opinions voiced about business conditions, the current survey indicates a slightly negative trend in assessments of the global offshore wind industry markets. All regions received poorer marks for the next twelve-month period, if still at a high positive level. With the exception of the European market, assessments by respondents regarding the offshore segment have taken a turn in the positive direction for the longer-term prospects. Asia is far ahead of the remaining world regions, once more increasing its distance from the European market significantly.
Persistent obstacles to the energy transition: Grid expansion and permitting procedures
Permitting, pending grid upgrades and regulatory hurdles continue to be the biggest obstacles to further progress in onshore wind energy. Yet, assessments – including those relating to investment costs, personnel shortages and other factors – have eased slightly or even markedly since the previous issue of the WEtix report; in other words, the hurdles are being perceived as being less problematic.
Similarly, grid infrastructure and permitting, along with investment costs, are considered as the greatest obstacles getting in the way of further wind energy developments in the offshore segment. What is more, the technical challenges are much bigger offshore than onshore. Nevertheless, in this portion of the survey curves are pointing downwards in most fields, indicating a positive development.
Turbine power by 2030: offshore keeps growing, onshore stagnates
Answers from industry stakeholders to the questions addressing the average expected output power of newly installed turbines by 2030 are quite unanimous: Turbine sizes in the offshore segment will continue to grow to reach a new record 19.37 MW on average. Meanwhile, forecasts for the size of onshore turbines average at around 8.55 MW as before. In general, capacity expectations in this segment are significantly above current values, as the survey reveals: More than 45 per cent of respondents expect an average output per onshore turbine of at least 9 MW eventually.
All the results of the survey are now available on the WindEnergy Hamburg website at https://www.windenergyhamburg.com/wetix.
About WEtix
The WindEnergy trend:index, a mood barometer for the wind industry, is jointly compiled by WindEnergy Hamburg, the world’s leading expo for onshore and offshore wind energy, and wind:research, the leading wind energy market research institute. The survey focuses on examining the potential of wind energy, covering both the onshore and offshore segments. More than 1,400 respondents took part in the current survey between mid-September and mid-November 2024, sharing their assessments of the development of the global onshore and offshore wind industry. The WEtix index covers all onshore and offshore regions globally. The following market regions were defined: Germany, Europe (including Germany), North America, Asia, and Rest of World (RoW). Around 19.7 per cent of respondents work in the offshore segment exclusively and roughly 38.7 per cent are primarily active in the onshore segment. About 35.5 per cent are involved in both the onshore and offshore segments. Companies identifying as “other” (2 per cent) often hail from industries such as hydrogen or photovoltaics.
About WindEnergy Hamburg
From 22 to 25 September 2026, one of the most fascinating industries will meet on Hamburg’s exhibition campus for the leading global networking event for wind energy: At WindEnergy Hamburg, right in the heart of the vibrant northern German port city, more than 1,600 companies from roughly 40 countries will present their innovations and solutions to 43,000 participants from around 100 different nations. Covering 75,000 m² of exhibition floor in ten halls, equipment manufacturers and suppliers representing all stages of the onshore and offshore wind energy value chain will provide a comprehensive market overview. The trade fair will be accompanied by freely accessible conference sessions where top-ranking experts will address the industry's key topics. The WindEnergy Hamburg team develop this programme jointly with their partners, including the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), the European organisation WindEurope, the national industry associations VDMA and BWE, leading industry media, and companies from the wind energy sector.
For more information please visit windenergyhamburg.com and follow us on the WindEnergy Hamburg LinkedIn channel.
Contact for questions regarding content, interpretation and methodology as well as wind:research:
Dirk Briese, ph. +49 (0)421 43730-0, presse@windresearch.de
About wind:research:
The market research institute wind:research prepares market studies and analyses as well as expert reports, through to M&A services for the wind energy sector, delivering detailed insights for strategy development to energy utilities, project developers, operators, component and turbine manufacturers as well as municipal, state and federal governments. In addition, it publishes weekly clippings on a wide range of topics such as hydrogen. For further information go to: www.windresearch.d
