WindEnergy trend:index (WEtix) recent survey, which was conducted among representatives of the global wind industry, shows an increasingly positive assessment of the worldwide market situation in the onshore and offshore segments. So far more than 4,000 wind industry experts from all parts of the value chain have taken part in the survey, which has been held semi-annually since 2018.
According to the WEtix’s results, the overall expectations regarding the future development of the industry are positive. The participating experts believe there are still many technological opportunities to be explored, seeing excellent international market perspectives. Survey participation remains high and stable, and the rate of completely answered questionnaires is increasing. Representativeness continues to be high, as well.
“The WEtix survey provides all wind energy experts with an excellent opportunity to share their assessments of the industry’s current and future situation. We are pleased that this opportunity has been receiving such a great response. It provides a means to capture the mood in the context of international perspectives in a manner that is normally possible only at the world’s leading wind industry expo itself,” said Bernd Aufderheide, President and CEO, Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH which organizes WindEnergy Hamburg.
“Positive messages reflecting a global view, such as this one, are of exceptional importance for the market at this time,” Aufderheide added.
The WEtix index, which is jointly compiled by WindEnergy Hamburg, a leading expo for onshore and offshore wind energy, and wind:research, the leading wind energy market research institute, has firmly established itself as the industry’s global barometer of mood.
Overall, the share of completely answered questionnaires has been growing. For example, in the third survey, approximately 65% of responding market experts answered the full set of questions. The distribution of response rates across countries and regions reflects the market volume in the respective country or region, accounting for the onshore and offshore segments. This is one of the indicators for high representativeness.
In general, distributions have remained more or less the same, with the onshore segment gaining ground.
An upward trend
In this year’s survey the participating experts see the current international environment for onshore wind energy in a much more positive light than in 2018. Germany is an exception as conditions are being judged even more critically this year than before. Conditions in the offshore segments are receiving increasingly positive assessments this year, especially so in Asia but also in North America. In Germany these values are decreasing, if less markedly than in the onshore segment and overall still on the positive side.
In regards to the assessment of the global market, the overall mood in onshore wind energy is by and large positive, and in some regions, such as Asia and North America, the spring 2019 values have clearly improved compared to 2018. The mood in Germany has worsened whereas the European trend is more positive.
The high level of the mood in offshore wind energy is impressive; this positive trend is especially noticeable in North America, Asia and the rest of the world (ROW). The assessments given for the German market are less positive, however the downward trend is not as dramatic here as in the onshore segment.
Survey participants were also asked for their assessment of the future development. While expectations for the future of the onshore market in Asia or ROW were trending slightly downwards in 2018, they are now significantly more optimistic. Similarly, assessments for North America are much more positive than in 2018. In Germany stakeholders are not placing very much hope in the market, based on past tenders.
The outlook on the offshore segment in Asia, North America and Europe for the year 2021 is characterized by a strong positive trend. Similarly, the market development for the ROW received more optimistic assessments, as well. The mood in Germany has stabilized compared to 2018.
High expectations
The participating experts share a strong sense of anticipation relating to optimization through digitalization. Last year’s strong results have risen even further. There is a significant increase in the offshore wind segment in the current survey. There are high to very high expectations of cost savings enabled by new technologies; the values for the onshore segment have remained nearly unchanged whereas the offshore results have topped their high 2018 levels in the spring 2019 survey.
View the full WEtix results here.
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