Interview with Nils de Baar

Nils de Baar, President of NCE at Vestas, will speak at HUSUM WIND 2025, sharing his perspective on the current state of the wind industry, future outlooks, and Vestas’ role in shaping renewable energy through technology leadership

Vestas is present with a two-storey booth designed to offer an immersive experience where visitors can explore our latest technologies, engage with our experts, and learn more about our contribution to the future of wind energy. What kind of conversations are we hoping to spark with industry professionals, partners and customers during the exhibition?

We want visitors to see and hear how Vestas is helping accelerate the energy transition as a global leader in wind energy solutions. Whether it's discovering our latest onshore and offshore turbine technologies, exploring our approach to circularity, or learning about our strategic partnerships across the value chain, we aim to highlight our key differentiators: technology leadership, unmatched global reach, scale, and service footprint.

This year marks over 35 years of Vestas’ presence in Germany. How would you describe our journey so far, and what role does Germany play in our broader strategy for accelerating the energy transition?

Vestas has a proud history of over three decades in Germany, where we’ve played a central role in driving the energy transition. In fact, one of the very first Vestas turbines is still spinning just a few kilometres away from Husum, also showing the longevity and quality of our technologies. With more than 20 GW of installed capacity and over 9,100 wind turbines erected since 1983, we’ve established ourselves as the German market leader in both onshore and offshore wind. Today, more than 2,300 dedicated employees across the country are helping us shape the future of energy. We’re ready to meet the demands of the country’s ambitious energy goals - working closely with our partners to scale up renewable energy deployment.

At HUSUM WIND, Vestas is emphasizing its position as a technology leader in onshore wind. What does this leadership look like in practice, and how are our latest turbine models, the V172-7.2 MW and V162-7.2 MW, setting new standards in the industry?

It is something we are proud to demonstrate not just in words, but in action. With over 1 GW of firm orders for the V172-7.2 MW and V162-7.2 MW, our most powerful onshore turbines, we’re clearly seeing strong market confidence in our latest technology. Both turbine types are certified, four prototypes have been successfully tested in the field, and the first commercial turbines have already been installed, proving their market readiness and performance.

What makes these turbines stand out is their adaptability: from coastal regions to the Alps, they’re designed to perform efficiently in diverse wind conditions. With hub heights ranging from 114 to 199 meters, flexible configurations and a forward-thinking design, they offer optimized transport, installation, and maintenance. 

Another important milestone this year was the celebration of 30 years since Vestas completed its first offshore wind farm, Tunø Knob. How does this anniversary reflect our legacy in offshore wind, and what recent achievements are shaping our future in this segment?

And we should also highlight that Tunø Knob is the oldest offshore wind farm still in operation, too! It was a pioneering project in 1995, powered by ten Vestas V39-500 kW turbines. Fast forward to today, and our flagship offshore turbine, V236-15.0 MW, is 30 times more powerful, showcasing the incredible progress in offshore wind technology.

This year, we are not only reflecting on our legacy, but we are also celebrating the future. The first offshore installations of the V236-15.0 MW turbine are now becoming a reality, marking a major milestone for Vestas and the industry.  

Nils, you’ll be joining the opening panel at HUSUM WIND to explore key topics like cybersecurity, AI, and digitalization. How is Vestas leveraging these technologies to strengthen its leadership in renewables and help shape a secure, intelligent energy future?

Digitalization, AI, and cybersecurity are critical aspects in the energy transition. At Vestas, we integrate AI across our operations to optimize service scheduling, manufacturing quality, and enterprise support, while ensuring secure and ethical use of these technologies. Our approach to cybersecurity is holistic, treating AI-related risks with the same rigor as any other critical incident. We invest in scalable infrastructure, build internal capabilities, and collaborate with leading partners to stay ahead. We believe it’s our shared responsibility to harness AI in a way that’s safe, transparent, and beneficial to society. This is how Vestas continues to lead, not only through innovation, but through responsible technological leadership.