WindEurope 2026 brought the wind energy sector together in Madrid from 21 to 23 April. The venue was IFEMA, one of Europe’s largest exhibition centres. More than 15,000 professionals attended. Over 620 exhibitors and more than 400 speakers took part. For three days, Madrid was where the industry set its agenda.
LIGHTWIND was there too.
About WindEurope 2026
WindEurope’s Annual Event is the largest wind energy conference and exhibition in Europe. Each year, it brings together turbine manufacturers, developers, researchers, policymakers, and investors. Together, they exchange knowledge, present innovations, and shape the direction of the sector.
The 2026 edition carried a clear message. Under the theme “from crisis to confidence,” the event focused on wind energy as a strategic response to Europe’s energy security challenges. The context was significant: geopolitical uncertainty is growing, and the pressure to accelerate the clean energy transition has never been higher. Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez opened the event on 21 April, underlining the political weight of the occasion.
For a project like LIGHTWIND, therefore, being present at WindEurope is not just a communication exercise. It is a direct opportunity to engage with the industry the project is designed to serve.
How LIGHTWIND participated
Our coordinator OptiGen represented the LIGHTWIND consortium at WindEurope 2026. On 21 April, OptiGen took part in the Wind Catalonia side event, organised by EolicCat. This session explored Catalonia’s emerging role in the floating offshore wind sector, with a focus on industrial capacity, research excellence, and port infrastructure.
Santiago Canedo, Innovation Director at OptiGen, presented the LIGHTWIND drive-train concept on stage. Specifically, he covered the core technical characteristics of the system and its advantages over existing solutions on the market.
In addition, the LIGHTWIND scale model was on display at the Sydis stand at IFEMA. A video showcasing the technology under development was also shown there. As a result, attendees got a tangible, visual introduction to what the project is building.
Why this matters for the project
LIGHTWIND is now in its second half. As we reported in our M18 consortium meeting post, the project has reached a significant milestone in its development, with drive-train design progressing and validation activities underway.
Participating in WindEurope 2026 fits naturally into this phase. Presenting the project to an audience of industry professionals, developers, and researchers creates visibility at exactly the right moment, when the technology is mature enough to communicate credibly, and early enough to build the relationships that will matter during exploitation.
WindEurope 2026 was also a reminder of the broader context in which LIGHTWIND operates. The offshore wind sector is scaling up rapidly, turbines are growing larger, and the demand for lighter, more reliable, and cost-effective solutions is real and growing. That is precisely the gap LIGHTWIND is working to address.
Thank you to OptiGen for representing the consortium at the event, and to Sydis for hosting the scale model and video at their stand.
To learn more about the LIGHTWIND project and the technology under development, visit our home page.