Germany, a major exporter of wind-generating equipment, supplies 6 percent of electricity needs from wind sites and a share of 20 percent by 2020 is feasible, said Peter Ahmels, head of the BWE wind energy federation. Most of the gain would come from modernizing existing generators and building taller rotors, as new sites are currently limited for regulatory reasons.

The German wind manufacturers have lifted annual output, including components sales, to 6 billion euros (8 billion dollars) and expect 2007 sales to grow 10 percent to 6.7 billion euros. The German wind-generator industry exports 61 percent of its equipment - Asia and North America are its fastest growing markets.

June 15, moreover, marks the first ever "European Wind Day", an initiative of the European Wind Energy Association. "The aim is to celebrate the power, popularity and effectiveness of wind energy right across Europe," the EWEA states on its website.

The Hanover Fair meanwhile ended on a high note on April 20 as optimism about Europe's business outlook helped to result in a rise in the number of visitors attending the five-day show. Some 230,000 people wended their way through the fair's vast exhibition halls, compared to about 155,000 visitors last year and 200,000 in 2005.