The use of wind energy has been characteristic in the recent world-wide shift from a carbon-based to a renewable-based energy structure.Many developing countries, China included, have great potentials in wind energy exploitation as a strategy to balance economic development and environment protection.Germany, among several other European countries, has most successfully developed its wind-energy industry.How is this achieved and what can be learned? To understand this, we review the German wind-energy development history and examine the entire wind-energy entity, from the perspectives of law legislation, policy development, economics, research, technology and management.We ask what scientific questions are being addressed in connection with the wind energy industry.The speaker is not an expert in the field and this talk is pieced together on the basis of published information and the on-and-offresearch activities the speaker has been trying to conduct.