Husum, 15.06.2012 (PresseBox) - Today, the world celebrates Global Wind Day. At Vestas we believe in wind. Energy consumption is increasing rapidly and our planet's resources are already stressed to the limit. We need to change the way we produce energy and invest more in renewable energies, the most promising of which is wind. Wind is competitive, predictable, independent, fast and clean.

A stable energy supply is a key factor in the infrastructure of a developed society. Energy is central to nearly every major challenge and opportunity the world faces today. Be it jobs, security, climate change or food production - access to sustainable energy is essential for strengthening economies, protecting ecosystems, reducing poverty and achieving equity. No one has grasped this more firmly than Vestas, the only company dedicated exclusively to wind energy and one of the clear leaders in its development. Recently, top European politicians took a closer look at Vestas, visiting the headquarters in Aarhus." Vestas' efforts in telling the story of wind power's potential is extremely important," said EU Commissioner Connie Hedegaard at the beginning of June when she joined the Ministers from EU member states during their visit to Vestas.

Milestones in wind energy

The world's energy mix is being reshaped and a significant milestone has been achieved: Vestas has achieved an installed global capacity of 50 GW of wind energy - the result of years of hard work with our customers and partners.

50 GW amounts to more than 46,000 turbines, close to a fifth of total global capacity, and generates enough clean energy to power 19 million European households, saving the world from 55 million tonnes of CO2 emissions every year.

Reaching 50 GW has only been possible through the relentless commitment and vision Vestas employees have shown in collaboration with our customers, suppliers and investors over the last 30 years.

Unrivalled turbine performance data

With more than 30 years of wind energy knowledge and experience, we know more about wind than anyone else. And we are passionate about turning this knowledge into value for our customers. Based on the monitoring of more than 21,500 wind turbines around the globe, we can identify potential problems before they arise. Predictive and preventive maintenance techniques allow us to reduce down time and optimise the yield of Vestas turbines worldwide. Over the past 30 years, we have succeeded in improving the effectiveness of the generators in our wind turbines by a factor of 100 - and we constantly strive to improve this further. We install an average of one wind turbine every three hours. Our wind turbines generate more than 90 million MWh of energy per year, or enough electricity to supply millions of households.

About Global Wind

Day Global Wind Day is a worldwide event that occurs annually on 15 June and is coordinated by the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) and the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), along with almost 50 partners, including Vestas. Wind energy is celebrated and information exchanged so that both adults and children find out about wind energy, its power and the possibilities it holds to change the world.

With the industry's largest global market share and most advanced technologies, Vestas is the world's leading supplier of wind energy solutions.

Every single day, Vestas wind turbines deliver clean energy that supports the global fight against climate change. Wind power from Vestas' more than 46,000 wind turbines currently reduces carbon emissions by approximately 55 million tons of CO2 every year, while at the same time building energy security and independence.

Today, Vestas has delivered wind energy in 69 countries, providing jobs for over 20,000 passionate people at our service and project sites, research facilities, factories and offices all over the world. With 66.9 per cent more megawatts installed than our closest competitor and more than 50,000 MW of cumulative installed capacity worldwide, Vestas is the world leader in wind energy.

We have global expertise along the entire value chain, from product development and technology, to measuring wind and placing wind turbines in the best possible location, project management, grid integration, performance monitoring and analysis.

The head office of Vestas Central Europe is located in Husum. Vestas Central Europe is responsible for the sales and marketing of wind power systems as well as for the installation and operation of wind power plants in Germany, Benelux, Austria, Russia, Eastern Europe and Southern and Eastern Africa

We invite you to learn more about Vestas by visiting our website at vestas.com. or by discovering our World of Wind at worldofwind.vestas.com.