CGEN Engineering has won the Startup Pitch Contest at WindEurope 2026, held in Madrid.

The award followed a competitive selection process involving 24 startup companies from across the wind energy sector.

CGEN was selected as one of three companies invited to pitch on stage before being announced as the contest winner.

Managing Director Joe Burchell presented CGEN and the company’s modular generator technology to the WindEurope audience and an expert jury comprising Nicolas Quiévy of ENGIE, Line Lyst of Ørsted and Owen Dignam of Microsoft.

The presentation introduced CGEN’s approach to designing and manufacturing electrical generators for renewable energy applications.

CGEN is developing modular machines intended to be lighter, easier to manufacture and simpler to maintain than conventional generator systems.

The company’s technology is designed so that individual sections can be removed, repaired, remanufactured and returned to service.

For the wind industry, this approach could support lower-cost manufacture, improved maintainability, turbine life extension and more practical repair strategies for large onshore and offshore machines.

CGEN is initially applying the technology through renewable energy projects and generator development programmes across wind, wave and tidal energy.

The company is also progressing opportunities involving existing wind turbine platforms, where a replacement generator could extend the operating life of the wider turbine and make greater use of existing towers, nacelles, foundations and grid connections.

Winning the WindEurope competition provides important recognition from organisations working directly across the European wind industry.

It also represents a significant milestone in CGEN’s expansion from its established marine energy work into the onshore and offshore wind markets.

Joe was supported at the event by CGEN team members Lars Fisher and Matthew Porter.

The 2026 event was CGEN’s second year attending WindEurope and provided further opportunities to engage with turbine manufacturers, developers, operators, investors and supply-chain organisations.

CGEN would like to thank the WindEurope team, particularly Mia Dragojlović and Dominique Tenaerts, for organising and supporting the competition.

The company would also like to thank the judging panel and all of the startups that participated in the WindEurope Startup Pavilion.

The result adds to a growing list of industry recognition for CGEN and provides further validation of the company’s ambition to improve how renewable energy generators are built, maintained and reused.

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