Happy Global Wind Day! As an EU-funded European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) project the REFRESH team is proud to support the sustainable growth of the wind energy industry.

The REFRESH project will help to make the wind energy industry even more sustainable. REFRESH is developing a circular economy concept for transforming end-of-use turbine blades into new products following an eco-design strategy. This will reduce wind turbine blade waste, lead to savings in primary materials, and create new job opportunities.

The concept could also be replicated in other large markets where composites – the materials that wind turbine blades are made from – are used.

Download our leaflet to learn more about the challenges of recycling composite wind blades and the REFRESH solution.

The wind energy market

Global Wind Day is a day for learning about wind energy, the possibilities it holds to reshape our energy systems, to decarbonise our economies, and boost jobs and growth.

Wind energy is a central pillar in our fight against global warming. As the event’s website states:

• Wind energy generation in Europe alone avoided 139 million tons of climate-damaging CO₂ emissions in 2023.
• In Europe, wind energy is already 20% of all electricity consumed. The EU wants this to increase to 35% by 2030, and over 50% by 2050.
• In 2023, the European wind industry had a turnover of €93 billion and contributed €57.2 billion to the European gross domestic product (GDP). Each gigawatt (GW) of wind turbines installed in Europe adds around €3 billion to the European economy.
• And at the same time, the wind industry employed 370,000 people in Europe. By 2050 this number could grow to more than 500,000.

Global Wind Day is held on 15 June each year. It is organised by WindEurope, Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) and national renewable energy associations to introduce the general public to wind energy through a series of activities.