
About this episode
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
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
Get every episode summarized
Each time Redefining Energy publishes, we email you a written briefing from the transcript — the topics, who appeared, and any specific claims, with the ad reads skipped.
Email me new episodesFree for 3 shows. No card needed.
Hosts & guests
No transcript yet
This episode has not been transcribed. Request it and it moves to the front of the queue.
More episodes
More from Redefining Energy

244. AI Transforming Distribution Grids - Aug26
Redefining Energy
Aug 31, 202630:43pending

243. From EVs to BESS: Why capital is flowing to batteries - Aug26
Redefining Energy
Aug 24, 202621:05pending

242. HVDC & the Grid of the future - Michael Barnard - Aug26
Redefining Energy
Aug 17, 202641:31pending

241. The Great Oxford Debate: “Energy and Aristotle" - Aug26
Redefining Energy
Aug 10, 202634:00pending