Your monthly briefing on the journey to fossil freedom

Issue #37 Wind power up close, October 2026

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Two people wearing high-visibility clothing and safety helmets standing on a vessel at sea, using binoculars and camera equipment to observe and document offshore conditions.

Jesper Kyed Larsen, Bioscience Expert at Vattenfall, works to improve understanding of how offshore wind farms interact with birdlife. Click the image to watch him explain the study and see footage from the thermal cameras. Photo: Vattenfall

Do birds collide with offshore wind farms? New data gives insight

What to know: Twice a year, millions of songbirds cross the North Sea, some passing through offshore wind farms. But how often birds actually collide with turbines at sea has been difficult to measure. At Vattenfall’s Hollandse Kust Zuid wind farm, 16 thermal cameras combined with AI monitored bird and bat movements around a turbine, day and night. Over nine months, the system recorded around 1.34 million five-minute videos.
 


Why it matters: Offshore collision risks have so far been estimated mainly through theoretical models, as it has been difficult to observe collisions directly at sea. The new system provides real-world data that improves the models for estimating collision-risk and help researchers better understand when and under what conditions collisions occur. 

See what the data reveals

Graphic showing the headline “More wind ahead” and a percentage value indicating

Denmark is one of the world’s leading wind power nations. In 2023, almost 60 per cent of the Danish electricity production – 59.3 percent – came from wind turbines (ourworldindata.org). That share is set to grow as Denmark expands offshore wind. In the latest auction, Vattenfall was awarded the Hesselø and North Sea Mid I projects, with a combined minimum capacity of 1,800 MW and environmental and social considerations integrated in the process from the start.

Raindrops on a window with a blurred city street, vehicles and lights visible in the background during wet weather.

Photo: Adobe Stock

Why forecasts matter more than ever

As wind and solar power make up more of the electricity mix, knowing what the weather will do next becomes increasingly valuable. More accurate forecasts, increasingly supported by AI and sophisticated power models, can help predict generation, reduce costly imbalances and make it easier to match electricity supply with demand.

See how AI is improving energy forecasts

Specialized offshore vessel installing a monopile foundation in the sea for an offshore wind farm.

Building Nordlicht’s 112 turbines will involve more than 1,000 experts from at least 30 countries. Photo: Vattenfall

Building one of Europe’s largest offshore wind farms

What’s the story behind Nordlicht, Vattenfall’s latest gigantic wind project in Germany? What will it take to get the 112 turbines in place? For the next few years over 1,000 experts from at least 30 different countries will work with the project. And once both Nordlicht I and II are operational, the cluster is expected to generate around six terawatt hours of electricity a year, equal to the current annual electricity consumption of roughly 1.7 million German households.


Want to see Nordlicht take shape? Follow the people, progress and challenges behind the project in Vattenfall’s web series The people behind Nordlicht.

Go behind the scenes of Nordlicht

News flash

3 x quick updates from the energy world

Yellow offshore buoy on a harbor quay next to the sea.

Photo: Encomara

Squid game
Encomara is developing a squid-like connection system for floating wind turbines. The structure is designed to enable faster connection of the turbines, while also making it easier to tow them back to shore. (offshorewind.biz)

A small wind turbine spinning on a coastal cliff overlooking the sea at sunset, with a rugged shoreline visible in the background.

Photo: DIY Electronics

Into the wild
Going camping off grid but want to stay connected? A Colorado company has developed a portable wind turbine that fits in your backpack and gives you enough power to charge your cell phone. (interestingengineering.com)

Several offshore wind turbines standing in the sea, viewed from above, with a bridge visible in the background.

Photo: Vattenfall

Map to the wind 
What percentage of the energy produced in Europe comes from wind power? With WindEurope’s interactive map, you can follow developments in each of the continent’s countries day by day. (windeurope.org)

And finally …

A room with a seaweed view

This month, a pop-up hotel room dedicated to seaweed opened at Vattenfall’s headquarters in Amsterdam. The travelling initiative was created by the European Seaweed Association to showcase the many uses of harvested seaweed. In the room a range of practical applications will be on display, from bedding and carpets to cosmetics, seaweed caviar and soft drinks, as well as the windfarmed seaweed snacks featured in last year’s Vattenfall campaign with Samuel L. Jackson.