Wind Energy 2022 and H2 Expo end on optimistic note

7 October 2022

Around 30,000 visitors, over 1,400 exhibitors flock to leading trade fair - H2 Expo to become annual event

This year's WindEnergy Hamburg ended Friday (September 30, 2022) with the entire wind energy and hydrogen industry signalling a strong sense of optimism and anticipation, according to a press release. Around 30,000 visitors from 92 countries and 1,400 exhibitors from 37 countries had attended the leading trade fair for wind power and the parallel H2 Expo & Conference in Hamburg's exhibition halls.

Events illustrate importance of renewable energy

During his opening address, Robert Habeck, German Minister for Economics and Climate Protection, remarked: " The importance of wind energy and the expansion of renewable energies as a whole is now more urgent and important than ever." An accelerated energy transition is "the essence of a secure and sustainable energy supply both in Germany and across Europe", he added. Given the trade fair's four-year hiatus, Bernd Aufderheide, CEO of Hamburg Messe und Congress, stressed the need for personal talks, adding: "It has again become clear hat renewable energies can be one of the keys to solving our problems." The H2 Expo & Conference was the "perfect complement to Wind Energy", he added.

H2 Expo & Conference to be held annually

The first H2 expo attracted some 60 exhibitors showcasing novel technologies and featuring several keynotes on the hydrogen sector as a a game changer away from fossil fuels. "Participants showed enormous interest in talks and keynotes given by business people and those in the political sphere on the latest trends and the future of the international hydrogen sector," Aufderheide said. Representatives of the north German states of Hamburg, Bremen, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein also signed an agreement on hydrogen during the conference which is to become an annual event from September 26-27, 2023.

Digitalisation, grid expansion and floating wind turbines

This year's Wind Energy fair focused on the digitalisation of approval procedures and the accelerated grid expansion, as well wind turbine upscaling and floating offshore wind. More than 75 per cent of visitors attended supporting events on four stages, organisers said, and expressed satisfaction with both events given the current challenges, Ben Backwell, CEO of the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), commented: “The success of this week’s fair has surpassed all expectations. The appetite of governments and industry to take advantage of the huge opportunities in the wind industry’s major and emerging markets was evident. From the huge crowds at GWEC’s Global Markets Theatre all the way through to busy stands up and down the conference centre, the industry’s readiness to rapidly scale up and deliver on the ambitious targets set by countries across the globe, was clear.” The next Wind Energy Hamburg will be held from September 24-27, 2024.

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