Laurent and Gerard sit down for an in-depth (and at times fiery) conversation with Ben Backwell, Chair of the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), to unpack the current state of the wind industry. Ben joins from Brazil, where preparations for COP30 are already underway. As GWEC has just released its flagship Global Wind Report 2025 —a must-read for anyone serious about the energy transition—they reflect on wind power’s progress. While the sector has continued to grow, it's been outpaced by solar and storage, grappling with supply chain bottlenecks, technical hurdles, and an all-out culture war driven by fossil fuel interests and political headwinds. The discussion covers the recent struggles of the U.S. offshore wind sector. We also dive into China’s meteoric rise, now dominating two-thirds of the global wind market with players like Goldwind, Envision, Windey, and Mingyang—now surpassing Western stalwarts such as Vestas, Siemens Energy, and GE Vernova. Despite the noise and negativity—what Laurent refers to as “the enemies of freedom”—there’s reason to stay hopeful. Wind remains a cornerstone of clean, secure, and locally sourced energy in many regions. Check out the full Global Wind Report 2025 from GWEC here: https://www.gwec.net/reports/globalwindreport
