A new analysis suggests Europe may be leaving a lot of money on the table by underfunding one of its biggest clean-energy industries: wind power.
A study by Trinomics in collaboration with DTU Wind says each euro of public support for wind innovation and industrial scale-up could produce €7 ($8) for every $1 spent each year in economic returns by 2040, while also boosting jobs, exports, and energy security.
According to Wind Europe, the study makes the case for a dedicated European "Fund for Wind Research and Competitiveness," with €11.6 billion — $13.5 billion with current exchange rates — in targeted support spread across the continent's wind supply chain.
Of that total, around €9 billion ($10.5 billion) would go toward expanding manufacturing capacity, so European companies can keep up with growing demand as the region pushes for greater energy independence. Researchers argue that the funding should be specifically earmarked within the European Competitiveness Fund instead of being scattered across multiple programs.
The report says that by 2040, that support could contribute €33 billion — $38.4 billion — a year to EU gross value added, create 180,000 more jobs, and raise annual wind equipment exports by €12.6 billion.
Right now, wind reportedly gets less than 2% of the budgets in EU programs open to it. Funding is divided across 12 different programs, and approval times in major channels such as Horizon Europe and the Innovation Fund run for more than nine months on average — a pace the study says is too slow to keep up with global competition.
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The findings come as China ramps up support for its wind industry. The study says public backing for Chinese turbine makers in recent years was roughly two to five times higher than what European manufacturers received, giving them a major advantage when it comes to scaling up and competing globally.
The report estimates that targeted wind support could help keep up to 89% of the industry's value within Europe, compared with 47% without it. It could also displace 91.5 billion cubic yards of imported gas each year, roughly equivalent to 700 liquefied natural gas shipments.
The report says that could mean more stable energy systems, less exposure to imported fuel price shocks, and more local manufacturing jobs.
They say the next EU budget should reserve funding specifically for wind so the industry is not forced to compete in broad, technology-neutral funding calls that can slow progress. A more focused system could help Europe expand domestic manufacturing, accelerate innovation, and defend market share in a sector it helped build.
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As the report puts it: "The message is clear. Europe needs a smarter way to use the tools it already has." It adds that funding wind the right way means "more European manufacturing, more innovation and more exports, with stronger supply chains and higher energy security."
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