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Wind power

Across the world, wind has been used to harness energy for centuries. Modern wind turbines are even more efficient and work both on land and in offshore wind parks.

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All Content on this topic

Three wind turbines against a mountain backdrop in the morning mist

Three wind turbines against a mountain backdrop in the morning mist

Does Germany need wind power?

Some politicians in Germany want a return to nuclear power, but the wind sector is on track to make significant gains.

Factory and wind turbines

Factory and wind turbines

Peak oil: Are crude oil supplies running out?

Crude oil still plays a huge role in our lives — as a fuel, in heating and in industry. But it's a finite resource.

A small blue car is being charged from the front at a charging station

A small blue car is being charged from the front at a charging station

How EVs can store energy for homes and power grids

Batteries not only power electric cars, but can also supply energy to buildings and grids via bidirectional charging.

A wind turbine surrounded by electricity masts with a red sky in the background

A wind turbine surrounded by electricity masts with a red sky in the background

Is Germany to blame for rising electricity prices in Europe?

Is Germany responsible for high electricity prices in other parts of Europe? How connected is the EU's energy market?

Windmill park at sea

Windmill park at sea

Offshore wind energy: What's the big deal?

From Donald Trump to local activists, accusations against "whale-killing" windmills are flying.

Workers install solar panels on the flat roof of a residence in Chicago

Workers install solar panels on the flat roof of a residence in Chicago

Is the US really experiencing a boom in green energy jobs?

The Inflation Reduction Act has boosted the US green economy and created thousands of jobs. Can it continue to deliver?

DW Sendung The 77 Percent | Energie aus Maniokabfällen

DW Sendung The 77 Percent | Energie aus Maniokabfällen

Ghanaian ecopreneur turns cassava waste into clean energy

A Ghanaian ecopreneur is making this a reality by transforming discarded cassava peels into powerful cooking briquettes.

Blue and white windmills in front of a train

Blue and white windmills in front of a train

Creating wind energy using planes, trains and automobiles?

Wind farms are key to a clean energy future, but expansion will require turbines that can channel urban breezes.

A photo showing a 5G mobile data center in Frankfurt, Germany, belonging to network operator Vodafone

A photo showing a 5G mobile data center in Frankfurt, Germany, belonging to network operator Vodafone

Why Chinese technology set off alarm bells in Germany

Even as Germany seeks to restrict Huawei and ZTE, some are looking to work with Chinese firms in other critical areas.

Doku Plan KW 28

Doku Plan KW 28

Nuclear fusion’s hope - The dream of endless clean energy

Could nuclear fusion generate an infinite amount of clean energy?

An offshore wind farm in Tangshan City, north China:

An offshore wind farm in Tangshan City, north China:

China wind, solar capacity nearly twice the world's: report

China is building more wind and solar capacity than the rest of the world combined, a new study has shown.

Aerial view of the floating solar energy plant with a capacity of 40 megawatts of energy in Huainan city, east China's Anhui province

Aerial view of the floating solar energy plant with a capacity of 40 megawatts of energy in Huainan city, east China's Anhui province

IEA: Clean energy investment to reach $2 trillion in 2024

More money is being invested in solar power than in all other sources of electricity combined, the IEA report says.

Rotating wind blades of a partially wooden wind turbine

Rotating wind blades of a partially wooden wind turbine

The groundbreaking potential of wooden wind turbines

Wind power is environmentally friendly — but building the towers isn't. Could swapping wood for steel be the answer?

DW "Eco Africa" Sendungslogo mit Partnerlogos (Composite)

DW "Eco Africa" Sendungslogo mit Partnerlogos (Composite)

Eco Africa — The Environment Magazine

Greening bricks and wind turbines in Uganda and Sweden, ending food waste in Lagos, and growing hope in Niger.

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, left, is in China for five days of meetings

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, left, is in China for five days of meetings

Chinese subsidies endanger world economy, says US' Yellen

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has said that China's subsidy-fueled "overcapacity" could overload the global market.

Bird's eye view of wind turbine blades lying on a field

Bird's eye view of wind turbine blades lying on a field

Wind power's unsolved problem

Wind turbines supply clean energy, but old ones are hard to recycle. Is there a solution?

A gray-haired woman holding a sunflower (Ursula Sladek) and a gray-haired, bearded man (Michael Sladek) smile broadly as they stand between rows of solar panels

A gray-haired woman holding a sunflower (Ursula Sladek) and a gray-haired, bearded man (Michael Sladek) smile broadly as they stand between rows of solar panels

EU: Clean energy movement gaining traction

Citizen energy collectives with democratic credentials in five EU countries help Europe move towards carbon neutrality.

A child runs between two rows of solar panels in a field, mountains can be seen in the background. The Hyperion solar park, Stymfalia, Peloponnese, Greece

A child runs between two rows of solar panels in a field, mountains can be seen in the background. The Hyperion solar park, Stymfalia, Peloponnese, Greece

Energy democracy takes off in Greece

High energy prices make sustainable energy communities appealing for Greeks.

Drone image of 20 rows of solar panels in a field. In the background are houses, trees and hills, Ladek-Zdroj, Poland, September 25, 2023

Drone image of 20 rows of solar panels in a field. In the background are houses, trees and hills, Ladek-Zdroj, Poland, September 25, 2023

Poland: Spa town turns to renewable energy for cleaner air

After choking on polluted air for many years, the town of Ladek-Zdroj turned to renewables for a breath of fresh air.

Substation

Substation

A grid fit for green power

Power generation is changing - our electricity grids are outdated. What's necessary to manage the energy transition?

Drone image of solar panels on the roof of a building. The panels belong to the Izgrei energy community in Belozem, Bulgaria

Drone image of solar panels on the roof of a building. The panels belong to the Izgrei energy community in Belozem, Bulgaria

Bulgaria: Pioneering grassroots energy project bears fruit

Bulgaria lags behind when it comes to clean energy production. But a tiny energy cooperative is leading the way.

A wide band of blue solar panels stretches across a field along a road in the Rhein-Sieg district in north-western Germany

A wide band of blue solar panels stretches across a field along a road in the Rhein-Sieg district in north-western Germany

How a German town wants to reinvent clean energy sharing

In Germany, citizen prosumers can't distribute their green electricity via the grid. Does this violate EU regulations?

A worker at a factory making solar photovoltaic modules in China

A worker at a factory making solar photovoltaic modules in China

China's solar sector steams ahead of EU, US

The US and Europe can't compete with China in producing solar modules. That's the stark message from a new report.

A car charging at charging station on a sunny day

A car charging at charging station on a sunny day

Solar, batteries and heat pumps led the green charge in 2023

Positive energy trends in 2023 included more solar power, batteries for e-mobility, and heat pumps for heating.

People walk at the venue of the COP28 United Nations climate summit in Dubai

People walk at the venue of the COP28 United Nations climate summit in Dubai

COP28: Consensus on fossil fuel phaseout proves elusive

With time running out at the UN climate summit, delegates are struggling to reach a key agreement on fossil fuels.

Chinese flags flutter in front of chimneys from a coal-fired power station

Chinese flags flutter in front of chimneys from a coal-fired power station

Is China a climate hero or a fossil fuel baddie?

Is China revolutionizing the energy transition, or are its fossil ambitions unstoppable?

DW Business (Sendungslogo Composite)

DW Business (Sendungslogo Composite)

DW Business

German has approved €7.5 bn in loan-guarantees for Siemens Energy - Xi Jinping & Joe Biden meet amid high trade tensions

Metal trees with micro wind turbines

Metal trees with micro wind turbines

Wind turbine 'trees' generate power even in urban areas

Mini wind-turbine trees and solar panels can be used in ordinary gardens to produce usable electricity on the spot.

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Harvesting energy with locally produced solar panels

A women-run company produces local, lower-cost solar panels to give South Africans better access to green electricity.

A pot with steam coming out the top with a woman in the background in India

A pot with steam coming out the top with a woman in the background in India

Jharkhand: Where livelihoods depend on coal

How are coal mining communities in Jharkhand affected by India's energy transition efforts?

DW Eco India (Sendungslogo Composite)

DW Eco India (Sendungslogo Composite)

Eco India - The Environment Magazine

Climate change is impacting everything. But there are ways for us humans to adapt to this ongoing process.

DW Business (Sendungslogo Composite)

DW Business (Sendungslogo Composite)

DW Business

Munich's IAA focuses on sustainability, e-mobility - Young Africans demand transition to clean energy

Made Grid

Made Grid

A new grid for green energy

How does electricity from wind parks and solar farms get to where it's needed, when it's needed?

Made Texas Solar

Made Texas Solar

Solar and wind energy faces pushback in Texas

Texas is a leader in wind and solar energy, but resistance to them is growing.

What's stalling the green transition?

We dive into the controversies of moving to a green economy — looking at aviation, renewables and heat pumps.

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Chile's clean energy project brings hydrogen gas to homes

Chile has many clean energy sources, raising the future prospect of green hydrogen exports.

DW Eco India (Sendungslogo Composite)

DW Eco India (Sendungslogo Composite)

Mining and finding other sources of energy

Some of the pros and cons of mining, and ways to cut carbon emissions.

The German town of Feldheim, pictured with dozens of onshore wind turbines in the distance

The German town of Feldheim, pictured with dozens of onshore wind turbines in the distance

Germany's wind sector is growing — but not fast enough

Onshore wind power in Germany is expanding but growth isn't happening fast enough to meet the country's climate goals.

DW Fokus Europa l Griechenland – die grüne Insel

DW Fokus Europa l Griechenland – die grüne Insel

Greece – An Island Goes Green

Tilos is the first island in the Mediterranean to get power from just wind and solar energy.

MADE Windpark

MADE Windpark

Wind parks gain support via capital participation

German wind farms are often criticized when residents don’t benefit, but there are other approaches.

A view of Tbilisi along the the Kura river

A view of Tbilisi along the the Kura river

Georgia: A source of green energy for Europe?

The EU wants to import green electricity from Georgia as part of the bloc's efforts to meet its climate targets.

DW Eco India (Sendungslogo)

DW Eco India (Sendungslogo)

Bright ideas to help meet energy goals

In the race to ramp up supplies from clean energy sources, projects are making steps in the right direction.

Off-shore wind farm

Off-shore wind farm

How will the EU reach its 2040 climate targets?

The EU’s climate advisory board has recommended the bloc adopt ambitious targets for 2040.

Spanien Puertollano Wasserstoff-Produktion durch Iberdrola

Spanien Puertollano Wasserstoff-Produktion durch Iberdrola

Producing hydrogen at thermal power stations

Excess wind energy can produce green hydrogen to heat homes.

DW Tomorrow Today Sendungslogo Composite

DW Tomorrow Today Sendungslogo Composite

Tomorrow Today – The Science Program

The energy revolution: Smaller nuclear reactors, huge solar plants, green hydrogen at home.

DW Thumbnail | We need more

DW Thumbnail | We need more

This is what's REALLY holding back wind and solar

How does our power system need to change to cope with more renewables?

A gigantic coal mining vehicle in La Guarija, Colombia

A gigantic coal mining vehicle in La Guarija, Colombia

Glencore a big winner of Germany's Colombian coal binge

The Ukraine war has forced Germany to boost Colombian coal imports even as it seeks to phase out fossil fuels at home.

Geothermal energy production in Kenya

Geothermal energy production in Kenya

Tapping the Earth's heat for energy

Geothermal energy is seen as a clean, renewable and readily-available source of energy. Kenya has tapped into it

Europe's largest bucket-wheel excavator in a chalk quarry in the North of Germany.

Europe's largest bucket-wheel excavator in a chalk quarry in the North of Germany.

How can cement be made climate-neutral?

Holcim is the world’s largest producer of cement. It wants to make a climate neutral product within the next ten years.

A geothermal source in the Puga Valley in India

A geothermal source in the Puga Valley in India

Unearthing India's geothermal potential

The Puga Valley in Ladakh is the site of a pilot project to explore its potential as a source for geothermal energy.