Celebrating Global Wind Day 2025

Ahead of Global Wind Day, QEPrize Ambassador and Senior Rail Systems Engineer Michael Chung reflects on the pivotal role of wind energy in our journey to net zero, highlighting the groundbreaking contributions of the 2024 QEPrize Laureates in transforming the future of sustainable power.

This Sunday, 15 June, marks Global Wind Day – a global celebration of wind power and an opportunity to raise awareness of renewable energy’s contribution to achieving our net zero goals. To accomplish this, we need more engineers working in all parts of the sector, from researchers to designers, from interface engineers to maintainers. In Europe, for instance, the wind power workforce is anticipated to grow from 370,000 today to 600,000 by 2030. This expansion represents far more than an impressive statistic, it highlights a significant opportunity for engineers and specialists across the sector, from research and design to maintenance and vocational reskilling.

According to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), wind energy achieved an extraordinary milestone in 2024 by installing a record 117 GW of new capacity worldwide whilst wind power was estimated to have generated around 8% of global demand. The staggering amount of progress would simply not be possible without the QEPrize 2024 Laureates, Andrew Garrad CBE and Henrik Stiesdal, whose groundbreaking work has propelled technological advancements in the design and efficiency of modern wind turbines - both onshore and offshore. Their innovations have not only increased the size of individual turbines but have also spurred the development of expansive wind farms designed to optimise both engineering excellence and economic viability.

Their achievements continue to inspire me in my role as a QEPrize Ambassador, where celebrating such innovation is central to my work and to inspiring the next generation of engineers.

Growing up in Hong Kong, I’ve always appreciated how the city’s geography naturally lends itself to harnessing wind energy. I remember visiting the information centre at the onshore wind turbine on Lamma Island back in 2006. I left feeling so inspired and captivated by wind power that it sparked my decision to pursue a career in engineering. At university, I spent my summers working at RWE as part of the IET Power Academy scheme, where I gained a deeper understanding of offshore wind farm design and carried out various feasibility studies for Tritton Knoll offshore wind farm, which became operational in 2022.

Today I work on railway electrification projects, and my design work supports new rolling stock introduction as well as schemes upgrading existing and new networks. Transportation remains the sector with the highest greenhouse gas emissions in the UK. Having better and greener rail connections will support the modal shift required to not only meet our net zero goals, but also make travel more accessible and improve access to job and study opportunities to drive economic growth.

As I continue my journey as a QEPrize Ambassador, I’m proud to share my insights and experiences with schools and industry peers alike, to highlight the vital contributions of engineers in shaping a sustainable future.

Happy Global Wind Day!