Wind turbines are not only used to generate electricity but also, for example, for desalination of water. In our January/February issue we published an article about the floating turbine from the company Blue H Technologies. It is clear that other parties are also interested in this concept. Based on this concept, a floating, autonomous desalination unit has been designed and developed by a group of Greek companies, universities and research centres.

Last year the European Council agreed that the European Union will increase the share of renewable energy to 20% by the year 2020. The EU has adopted this share as a binding overall target for its Member States. These targets are very ambitious: today 8.5% of energy is renewable (of which wind energy is the biggest part). To achieve a 20% share by 2020 will require major efforts across all sectors of the economy and by all Member States. A European approach is needed to ensure that the effort for reaching the 20% target is shared equitably between Member States.

Last December, European Offshore Wind (EOW) took place in Berlin, Germany. After the first EOW organised by the Danish Wind Energy Association in 2005, the EWEA took over the organisation and turned it into a pan-European event which will be held every two years. The Berlin event was a great success, with more than 2,000 participants attending the sessions and 120 exhibitors offering a range of services and solutions in the fast-expanding offshore wind market. The next EOW will be in Stockholm, Sweden, from 14 to 16 September 2009.

On 4 December 2007, over 1,000 representatives of the offshore wind industry, policy makers and energy specialists will gather to explore and discuss the future of offshore wind energy during a three-day pan-European conference dedicated specifically to this promising technology. Organised by the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA), the European Offshore Wind Conference and Exhibition (EOW2007) will debate the future of offshore development in Europe.

For many years the Dutch style of Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine (HAWT) has dominated the market, but now, for a number of reasons, developers and investors alike are taking another look at what Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs) can offer. In this issue on page 7 we publish an article that takes a brief look at the technical reasons why this type of machine deserves closer scrutiny in the form of smaller machines for the built environment, or larger machines for wind farms and offshore applications.

From 28 till 30 June Wind Power Asia was organised for the fourth time in Beijing, China. Almost 200 companies participated in the exhibition this year. Most of them came from China, but several western companies or their local subsidiaries also presented their products and services. The floor was crowded with exhibitors and it is clear that wind energy in China is booming. Several local manufacturers have entered the market, either working under licences or developing their own technology. The major international manufacturers are also increasing the capacity of their Chinese facilities in order to meet the demand. At face value, the aggregate plans of all players in the market suggest that China will be supplying close to 12GW of mainly 1-2MW wind turbine generators within the next 4?years. Probably not all Chinese manufacturers will survive, but it won't surprise me if some of them become international players or are in the market to purchase western companies, as is happening in other sectors nowadays. China is certainly a country to take into account.