From niche to mainstream: how wind is winning

Ben Backwell, CEO of the Global Wind Energy Council, highlights the extraordinary growth in the wind industry globally, and how an industry that was once seen as niche and expensive has been transformed into one that is both mainstream and cost-effective. In this enlightening episode, Ben reveals the advances in technology that have helped to establish wind as a credible alternative to fossil fuels. He also describes how those same technologies have enabled a ‘full system approach’ where wind, solar and hydro complement each other to counteract the challenges traditionally associated with variable energy sources. He outlines why, how and where other renewable sources can work best alongside wind in this way, reducing the need for storage and the reliance on fossil fuel baselines in energy grids. However, he cautions that much of the world, including the Asia Pacific region, has a great deal to do before the infrastructure and regulations needed to support this ‘complementarity’ are in place. *This episode was recorded live at the Singapore International Energy Week 2018.