16 October 2026, Beijing | Rapid electrification and innovation across the energy system is transforming the economy and accelerating demand for wind power, declared Ben Backwell, CEO of the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) and Chair of the Global Renewables Alliance (GRA), at the inaugural Powering the Future: Wind & Tech Summit, hosted in Beijing.
At the landmark summit, a first-of-its-kind showcase and high-level dialogue about technological change and innovation in the wind power sector, exploring robotics and artificial intelligence, to smart grids and hybridisation, Mr Backwell set out why wind power has never been more central and important to the lives of people everywhere.
“Wei Lai Yi Lai - The Future is Already Here”, Mr Backwell declared, reflecting on new technological trends which are increasing demand for green, clean and reliable wind power, and additionally helping the wind industry to become even more efficient and competitive, supporting integration with other renewables and batteries, and reducing costs for consumers.
The Powering the Future: Wind & Tech Summit, hosted by GWEC together with the Chinese Wind Energy Association (CWEA), Chinese Renewable Energy Industries Association (CREIA) and the Europe-Asia Center, was held on 15 October at the China International Exhibition Center, drawing CEOs and senior representatives of some of the world’s largest manufacturers and developers.
“Rapid electrification across heavy industry, transport, heating and cooling, combined with artificial intelligence and green data centres, creates huge new demand for wind, solar and other renewables. This presents us with one of the greatest economic opportunities in history, but also one of history’s greatest challenges,”
“The most pressing technological challenge we face is that of grid development, which is not proceeding fast enough to support required growth,” he warned. “Countries need to radically increase investment to upgrade transmission networks, and support new technologies in areas such as grid management and optimisation, with demand side management to help bring more wind generation online.”
Ben Backwell, CEO, GWEC
With annual wind installations edging closer to the historic 200 GW mark, GWEC and its members are now working to create and deploy “hybrid first” projects that can supply firm renewable power while exploring advancements in robotics, AI and other technologies. “The wind industry is not only delivering turbines, it is providing power system solutions. This means projects need to be optimised and designed from the get-go with battery storage, solar PV and other technologies,” Mr Backwell continued.
China Wind Power, now in its 19th edition, is expected to attract well over 120,000 delegates, with over 1,000 exhibitors, between 14 and 16 October. The world’s largest wind industry event is co-organised by GWEC, CWEA and CREIA and attended by senior representatives from international and domestic wind developers and manufacturers, national energy authorities, local government, supply chain businesses, research institutes and universities, international organisations and diplomatic missions.
“I strongly support the future vision that the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) is preparing to put forward,”
“GWEC, together with national associations such as the Chinese Wind Energy Association (CWEA), has done tremendous work in advancing industry development, promoting the implementation of new policies, facilitating dialogue among companies, especially across national borders, and encouraging the application of innovation throughout the wind sector.”
Wu Gang, Chairman of Goldwind.
Keynote speaker at the Powering the Future: Wind & Tech Summit.
“Wind power has become the backbone of China's energy security and green energy transition,”
“It is necessary to simultaneously advance technological innovation, institutional and mechanism innovation, development model innovation, and policy mechanism innovation,”
Liang Zhipeng, Chairman of China’s Renewable Energy Special Committee.
At the opening ceremony of China Wind Power, calling for greater collaboration and innovation on artificial intelligence and power market mechanisms.
“Green transformation is a tremendous opportunity. It can bring more jobs, more prosperity, and a better future,”
“In the two hundred years following the Industrial Revolution, there seemed to be only one path to prosperity – coal, oil and natural gas – and any country that wanted to develop had to take this path. But China has proven to the world that there is an even better path to prosperity. With significant cost reductions, if a country shifts from coal to renewables like photovoltaics and wind power, it can achieve development at lower costs,”
Erik Solheim, former United Nations Under-Secretary-General.
Summit attendee.
Following the Powering the Future: Wind & Tech Summit, GWEC held its October Board meeting with representatives of its member organisations who had travelled to Beijing together with virtual attendees. This was GWEC’s first Board meeting in China since 2019 and focused on GWEC’s work to support a thriving global wind industry and position wind power as the backbone of an integrated, electrified energy system.
Speakers at the Powering the Future: Wind & Tech Summit, in order of appearance, included: