The best of 2024 in Windletter
The year comes to an end, and we take the opportunity to review the topics we've covered this year in Windletter
Hello everyone and welcome to a new issue of Windletter. I'm Sergio Fernández Munguía (@Sergio_FerMun) and here we discuss the latest news in the wind power sector from a different perspective. If you enjoy the newsletter and are not subscribed, you can do so here.
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🎄 Merry Christmas to everyone! I hope you are enjoying the holidays with your loved ones and finding some time to rest a bit.
Apologies for the delay since the last edition, but it’s been quite challenging. The good part is that I now have a few quieter days to prepare some things for the year ahead.
🎯 The best of 2024 in Windletter
2024 has been a year of growth and consolidation for Windletter with the launch of the English version, a quality leap in content (or at least, I think so, though you’ll be the judges of that), and the arrival of our main sponsors, Tetrace and RenerCycle, whose support makes this small project possible.
2024 has also been an exciting year for the wind sector: Western OEMs striving to regain profitability, Chinese manufacturers decisively venturing beyond their borders, the relentless race to build giant wind turbines, floating wind's path toward commercial viability... and many other topics we've covered here.
I know many of you enjoy learning about Windletter’s figures and statistics, but I’ll save that for an edition I’ve already half-prepared and will publish soon. I’ll also include some personal reflections as usual.
📰 News editions
As you know, the news editions consist of a main story covered in-depth, followed by several shorter news pieces treated “briefly” (though not always).
Looking back at the main stories, this year we discussed electricity demand and the importance of electrifying the economy and stimulating electricity consumption to advance the energy transition. We also touched on the challenge of grid access and the bottlenecks we face, especially in Europe.
We covered one of the largest onshore contracts in history (outside China) and the record wind installation in Europe, analyzing all the data thanks to WindEurope’s report.
As you know, at Windletter, we love to talk about innovation. We reviewed the best wind turbines and innovations of 2023, selected by Windpowermonthly, and discussed the challenges and difficulties of floating wind, including corrective maintenance and project cancellations.
Speaking of floating wind, OceanX, Mingyang’s spectacular dual-rotor prototype, took the spotlight.
Offshore wind had a turbulent year, with project cancellations for various reasons. Yet, we’ve also seen its enormous potential and the emergence of many new markets.
Spanish offshore wind has been another topic we followed closely, both during the wait for regulations and after their publication.
Chinese manufacturers captured significant attention, with the EU investigating them, Mingyang making a strong push into the European wind sector, and their notable presence at Wind Energy Hamburg. It’s worth noting that China installed 65% of the world’s wind capacity in 2023.
Though it’s not easy to keep up with the pace of new launches, giant turbines also made headlines, with Mingyang unveiling its 20 MW turbine and Siemens Gamesa presenting its 21 MW prototype. On the topic of large turbines, the list of new models presented at China Wind Power was also intriguing.
As curiosities, we talked about an escape room based on a wind turbine, a tornado destroying a wind farm in the U.S., one of the world’s largest off-grid systems and bringing wind energy to Namibia.
All this, and much more I’m surely forgetting, was covered in Windletter.
✍️ Guest contributors
Guest contributors are another area I’ve focused on this year, as they bring new perspectives to the sector or delve into specific topics with true experts. And, of course, so you don’t get tired of just reading me all the time—why not admit it? 🙂
In 2024, we featured three guest contributors:
Pedro Fresco, General Director of AVAESEN (Valencian Energy Sector Association) and one of the leading and most well-known energy communicators in Spain, who debunked myths about wind energy following the publication of his book Energy Fakes (only in Spanish).
Luis González-Pinto Barrenetxea, with 12 years of experience in floating wind (a rare profile to find), who shared a realistic view of floating wind, balancing overly optimistic and dramatic perspectives.
Rafa Jiménez Toña, BOP Technical Office Manager in the onshore business unit at Siemens Gamesa, with 20 years of experience in the wind sector and a PhD student at the University of the Basque Country, who discussed onshore wind turbine foundations, their historical evolution, and the different types available on the market.
I can already tell you that we’re preparing new features for 2025! 🙂
Would you like to be a guest contributor for Windletter? Reply to this email or contact me on social media.
📚 Reports
Reports are something I personally enjoy writing, and they tend to generate significant interest. It’s a section I’d like to develop further in the future, though it’s true they require a lot of dedication to produce quality content.
In 2024, we published two reports:
40 years of the first Ecotècnia wind turbine, where we revisited the history of the first prototype by the manufacturer Ecotècnia and the first wind turbine connected to the grid in Catalonia, thanks to the invaluable help of Pep Puig (one of the founders of this iconic manufacturer).
The first year of operation of Saitec Offshore Technologies’ floating prototype, where we reviewed its milestones and the company’s future plans. The willingness to collaborate by David Carrascosa (COO of Saitec Offshore) was crucial in producing such a comprehensive report.
I can already reveal that I’m working on a new report for early 2025 that I believe you’ll enjoy.
🌟 Thank you for another year of support
Thank you for accompanying me on this journey once again. Without readers, this wouldn’t make sense.
Thank you for your comments, explanations (I admit I’m a bit of a questioner), feedback, exclusives (!), and for helping me grow by sharing Windletter with your networks.
Merry Christmas to everyone! Let’s go for 2025! 🎉
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Disclaimer: The opinions presented in Windletter are mine and do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer.