WindEnergy Hamburg int'l trade fair gets underway

BERLIN, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- The WindEnergy Hamburg trade fair made a return to the northern German city on Tuesday following a COVID-19 pandemic-induced hiatus.

Under the motto "It's time to put climate first," the fair lasts until Sept. 30.

The trade show for the international onshore and offshore wind power industry features 1,400 exhibitors from all over the world, according to the organizers. To address the "growing demand for green hydrogen," a separate conference is also held simultaneously.

The fair was opened by Germany's Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Robert Habeck in the presence of politicians and businesspeople.

Germany had taken a "decisive step" with the recent reform of the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) that tripled the rate of expansion, Habeck stressed.

According to the World Wind Energy Association (WWEA), Germany increased its wind power capacity by 1.7 gigawatts (GW) in 2021. On a global level, China made by far the largest contribution to the expansion of wind energy by installing more than half of the 97.5 GW added last year.

Leading industry associations, including the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), said at the opening of the fair that the annual expansion of global wind power capacity must be increased to nearly 400 GW to meet the goal of climate neutrality.

"Only clear and ambitious policy frameworks for the deployment of wind and renewable energy, with a long-term horizon of over 10 years, can help to align energy and climate goals with market forces," GWEC CEO Ben Blackwell said.