Flexibility to deal with variability and integrate with other technologies is the wind sector’s next key challenge following its successful cost-reduction drive, politicians and industry experts told the Global Wind Summit in Hamburg.

“Costs are down. But the challenge in front of us is that still wind is delivering energy only when the wind is blowing,” Thorsten Herdan, director general for energy policy at Germany’s economics and energy ministry told delegates to the WindEurope conference, which forms part of this week's giant industry event.