Airborne wind energy will be represented at the Wind Innovation Forum 2026, taking place from 5 to 7 October in Amsterdam, bringing the technology into the discussion on the future of wind energy research and innovation in Europe.
The Wind Innovation Forum 2026 will bring together representatives from industry, research organisations, academia, Member States and the European Commission to discuss the future direction of European wind energy research and innovation. The Forum aims to strengthen dialogue across the European wind ecosystem and develop a shared strategic vision for the sector.
A central objective of the Forum will be to finalise the next ETIPWind Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA). Through thematic sessions covering industrialisation, digitalisation, energy systems integration, sustainability, circularity, skills and societal acceptance, participants will identify research challenges and innovation priorities to guide European investments in the coming years. The conclusions will feed into the final SRIA to be presented at the SET Plan Conference in November 2026.
Presenting airborne wind energy
Roland Schmehl, Associate Professor at Delft University of Technology and Board Member of Airborne Wind Europe, and Christian Willberg from Hochschule Magdeburg-Stendal will attend the Forum on behalf of AWEU to present AWE.
Their participation provides an opportunity to highlight AWE as an emerging technology and bring its perspective into the discussions around the future research and innovation priorities of the European wind sector.
Airborne wind energy is explicitly included in Europe’s long-term wind energy research vision. A recent document developed by the SET Plan Implementation Working Group on Wind Energy identifies airborne wind energy systems, alongside floating offshore wind, as innovative wind energy systems expected to be fully mature and ready for scale-up by 2040.
The Wind Innovation Forum 2026 provides an important opportunity to present AWE and keep connecting the technology with the broader European wind research and innovation industry as it works to define the sector’s future R&I priorities.
Wind Innovation Forum 2026
5–7 October 2026
Aristo Amsterdam Sloterdijk, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
More information and registration