WindEurope Bulletin
WindEurope Bulletin June 2020
2 June 2020
Giles Dickson
CEO Foreword
Dear WindEurope Member,
Last week the European Commission tabled its long-awaited “Recovery Strategy”. It is good news for our industry. The Strategy’s two elements – a new EU Budget for 2021-27 and a new Recovery Fund – amount to €1.85tn of total investment. And the right sort of investments, too: the EU clearly want a green recovery.
This a boost for the energy transition. And the Strategy also singles out wind energy as one of the ‘policy fundamentals of the recovery’. The EU wants wind to be half of Europe’s electricity by 2050. That means huge investments, jobs and growth. This is a tremendous opportunity for our industry – but it also brings huge responsibility. Put simply, we need to deliver on this. We’ll be keeping you up to date on all of the detailed proposals that’ll help make these investments happen. Watch this space.
Yesterday we held a press conference with Hamburg Messe und Congress on the decision to postpone our joint event, WindEnergy Hamburg, until 1-4 December. The EU’s Recovery Strategy adds a new dimension to the event. The further expansion of wind energy is central to Europe’s economic recovery and to the EU Green Deal. Hamburg is a key hub for our industry and it will be good time and place to showcase the jobs and investment that we can contribute to both. And the event will take place while Germany still has the Presidency of the EU. The situation on the ground is still evolving of course – and we are adapting our planning according to the circumstances. We will keep you posted on the details of the event as they develop.
Staying on events: our first ever fully online technology workshop takes place next week. As you know, our Tech Workshop on Resource Assessment & Analysis of Operating Wind Farms was moved fully online in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. The 4-day event starts next Monday, 8 June. You can see the complete programme for it here – be sure to register in advance.
Finally, allow me to invite you to our next online Annual General Assembly which takes place later this month. The AGA will be on 24 June, from 16:45 – 18:15 CEST. If you wish to register, please contact us here. Do join if you can.
Take care.
Giles Dickson
Can your team win WindEurope’s Online Quiz on Global Wind Day?
When: 15 June, Global Wind Day
Think you know about wind energy? Pop culture? General knowledge? Think your team has what it takes to compete against the wind community? Form your team with your colleagues and be in with a chance to win exclusive prizes!
Business Intelligence Spotlight
Cross-sector industry platform outlines best strategies for the recycling of wind turbine blades
In April, WindEurope, the European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic) and the European Composites Industry Association (EuCIA) presented their recommendations for the recycling of wind turbine blades in their new report Accelerating Wind Turbine Blade Circularity.
Today around 85 to 90% of wind turbines’ total mass can be recycled. But turbine blades represent a specific challenge. Made from complex composite materials to allow for lighter and more durable blades, they require specific processes for recycling.
WindEurope CEO, Giles Dickson said: “The first generation of wind turbines are now starting to come to the end of their operational life. Many of them will be replaced by modern, more efficient turbines. We estimate that 14,000 wind turbine blades will be decommissioned in Europe by 2023. The recycling of these old blades is a top priority for us, as we are committed to the principles of a circular economy. Our collaboration with Cefic and EuCIA is key to scaling up the necessary recycling technologies and value chains.”
“Investing in renewable energy production and circular solutions should be one of the key drivers of the post-COVID-19 economic recovery,” Cefic Director General, Marco Mensink explained. “I am very proud of the partnership we have built with the wind energy supply chain to come up with an effective solution to recycling wind blades. This shows that cross-industry and value chain alliances are a very powerful tool for speeding up innovation and scaling up cutting edge technologies”.
“We are committed to support the composites industry in finding reliable recycling technologies”, said Roberto Frassine, President of EuCIA. “Our collaboration with WindEurope and Cefic is a great example of how we can make progress towards establishing solutions that are both sustainable and economically viable. EuCIA has been working hard to better estimate the amount of End-of-life waste of composites in Europe. Through WindEurope we were able to validate our findings for wind markets, which will be the basis for further strategic programs and actions to promote composites recycling.”
The report’s key conclusions are:
- There are various existing technologies to recycle wind turbine blades, but these solutions are not yet all available at industrial scale and economically competitive.
- Today, the main technology for recycling composite waste is through cement co-processing. WindEurope, Cefic and EuCIA strongly support increasing and improving composite waste recycling through the development of alternative recycling technologies. This requires increased research and innovation funding.
- At the same time, existing treatment routes such as cement co-processing must be deployed more widely to deal with the growing waste streams.
- The best strategy for wind turbine blades is one that combines design, testing, maintenance, upgrades, and the appropriate recycling technology to ensure the maximum value of the material is retrieved throughout its lifetime. This requires a better understanding of the environmental impacts associated with the choice of materials during design and with the different waste treatment methods at end-of-life.
- Finally, composite recycling is a cross-sector challenge. An active engagement from all the composite-using sectors and authorities is required to develop cost-effective solutions and strong European value chains.
Member’s interview
We sat down with Michael C. Brower, PhD, Vice President, UL Renewables, to discuss changing power markets, the impact of COVID-19 and whether or not wind energy is too focused on being ‘big.’
Read the interview
Members’ successes
Ørsted and other leading Danish companies join forces on ambitious sustainable fuel project
Ørsted have joined Copenhagen Airports, A.P. Moller – Maersk, DSV Panalpina, DFDS, SAS to form a unique partnership between the demand and supply side of sustainable fuels. The partnership aims to develop what could become one of the world’s largest electrolysers and sustainable fuel production facilities in Copenhagen.
The partners hope to develop their new ground-breaking hydrogen and e-fuel production facility as soon as 2023. When fully scaled-up by 2030, the project could deliver more than 250,000 tonnes of sustainable fuel for buses, trucks, maritime vessels, and airplanes every year. Production would potentially be based on a total electrolyser capacity of 1.3 GW. The production from the fully-scaled facility can reduce annual carbon emissions by 850,000 tonnes.
If realised as envisaged, the project will be located in the Greater Copenhagen Area and could supply renewable hydrogen for: zero-emission buses tendered by Movia and heavy-duty trucks managed by DSV Panalpina; renewable methanol for A.P. Moller – Maersk vessels; and renewable jet fuel (e-kerosene) for SAS airplanes and air transport out of Copenhagen Airports. The project will require a large-scale supply of renewable electricity, which could potentially come from the offshore wind power produced at Rønne Banke off the island of Bornholm.
“Decarbonising the road, maritime, and aviation sectors is key to bringing our economies around the world to net-zero emissions by 2050.” said Ørsted CEO Henrik Poulsen. “Our vision to produce sustainable fuels in the Greater Copenhagen area will deliver the necessary industrial scaling to drive the needed cost-out towards making renewable fuels competitive with fossil fuels.”
The first stage of the project, which could be operational by 2023, comprises a 10 MW electrolyser which can produce renewable hydrogen used directly to fuel buses and trucks.
Bourbon Subsea Services collaborates in installation of 3rd floating wind turbine at WindFloat Atlantic project
Following the supply and installation of the mooring lines, Bourbon Subsea Services towed and connecting the third 8.4 MW floating wind turbine of the WindFloat Atlantic project, located 20 km from Viana do Castelo on the Portuguese coast. With a total capacity of 25 MW, these are the most powerful floating wind turbines ever installed.
Bourbon is responsible for the project management and engineering of the installation at sea. The company provided all the naval assets and necessary personnel for the offshore operations for the 3 turbines. "This last step in the WindFloat Atlantic project marks a turning point for floating wind power, which goes from the prototype to a pre-industrial stage,” Bourbon Subsea Services CEO Patrick Belenfant said. With the support of three vessels (the Bourbon Orca AHTS, a port tug and an ROV support vessel laying electrical cables), a team of more than 70 people will set this wind turbine up, culminating at 100m height.
After towing and connection to the preinstalled anchor lines, Bourbon will carry out the electrical connection operations. This lump sum project demonstrates the group’s expertise in towing, underwater robotics, positioning and laying of electric cables as well as the project management capacity of all stakeholders. “The successful completion of this project demonstrates the potential of floating wind turbines and is a source of pride for Bourbon,” Belenfan said, “which is taking part in the development of renewable energies, drawing on years of experience and professionalism at sea.”
Events
Next week: Resource Assessment & Analysis of Operating Wind Farms: our first fully online technology workshop
When: 8-11 June. 4 half-days, 13:00 – 18:00.
- The potential of advanced digitalisation of both resource and operational assessment (machine learning and big data);
- LiDARs and modelling the resource;
- The impact of blockage and wake effects on the resource;
- The impact of climate change on the resource;
- And much more
See the complete programme here
Our online event platform will allow for:
- Dynamic matching for the B2B networking
- Shorter and more interactive sessions (polling, interactive Q&As and gaming)
- Online poster sessions
WindEurope Sofa Talks: Want to stay up to date with what’s happening in wind energy these days?
Make yourself a cup of coffee and join WindEurope experts as we bring you all the latest from the world of wind energy, directly from our sofas to your sofa!
WindEurope Sofa Talks is our ongoing series of free interactive webinars dedicated to the most important issues facing wind energy today.
Join the thousands of attendees who have tuned into our Sofa Talks, where we tackle topics ranging from recycling to finance, from the EU’s Climate Law to industrial strategy and more.
This is your chance to get one-to-one insights from Europe’s leading wind energy experts as they set out the current state-of-play and answer your questions in real time.
Our next Sofa Talks:
Bigger and heavier: how the offshore wind industry can respond
When: 4 June, 15:00 CEST
What: Join industry experts for a discussion of how the offshore supply chain is preparing to handle larger volumes and bigger components, supporting the energy transition and the growth of the offshore industry.
Who:
- Mattia Cecchinato, Sustainability and Offshore Analyst, WindEurope
- Mikkel Gleerup, CEO of Swire Blue Ocean
- Erik Betholet, Business Manager Offshore Wind, Groningen Seaport NV
- Anne Rothe Håkansson, Senior Transport Specialist, Transport Products & Services, LM Wind Power
- Eric Finé, Business Development Manager, Smulders
Scaling-up floating wind to commercialisation
When: 11 June, 15:00 CEST
What: National energy policy is a huge driver of the growth in floating offshore wind. But current policies will not take us there. This Sofa Talk will discuss the key actions needed in the next 3 years to consolidate Europe’s leadership in floating offshore technologies and develop at least 6 GW by 2030.
Who:
- Lizet Ramirez, Offshore wind analyst, WindEurope
- Leif Delp, Head of Floating Wind Technology, Equinor – missing picture – coming ASAP
- Javiez Sanz, CTO Renewable Energies, InnoEnnergy & WG Floating Chair
- Matthieu Monnier, Deputy CEO, FEE
Digitalisation: What will wind farms look like in 2025?
When: 16 June, 15:00 CEST
What: For several years we’ve heard a lot about the digitalisation of the energy sector. Over the past few month’s digital solutions and alternatives in different operations have become a major talking point and a necessity to ensure continued operation. As such, a range of digital solutions have been deployed in wind farms and have gradually been changing wind operation and maintenance (O&M).
Who:
- Vasiliki Klonari, Senior Digitalisation & System Integration Analyst, WindEurope
- Jamie Stapleton, Global Digital Portfolio Manager, ABB
- Jonas Corné, CEO & Founder, Greenbyte
- Nicolas Quievy, Senior Wind Technology Manager, Engie
Free Wind Harmony workshop on health & safety
When: Wednesday 10 June, 10:00-13:00 CEST
This workshop will present Wind Harmony project’s final recommendations on possible interventions – including potential harmonisation where appropriate – of health and safety topics for wind energy at European level.
These recommendations are based on expected health and safety improvements, cost reductions and overall efficiency. The results of the workshop will feed into the European Commission’s future priorities for health and safety in the wind sector. Further details are available in the agenda.
For more information, contact Dorina Iuga at [email protected]
End-of-Life Issues and Strategies Seminar (EoLIS) 2020
This year, EoLIS will be a 2-day event: Day 1 will focus on “Making the most of existing sites” while Day 2 will focus on “Optimising solutions for wind farm closures.”
High-level plenaries on every aspect of end-of-life issues – repowering, lifetime extension, decommissioning, recycling, etc. – will be followed by break-out workshop sessions.
There will also be networking sessions every day between those involved in the operational and investment sides of the end-of-life conversation.
WindEnergy Hamburg 2020 – now taking place in December
When: 1-4 December
What: The world’s largest wind energy event
In previous years, WindEnergy Hamburg has gathered 35,000 visitors from over 100 countries in Hamburg. We are closely monitoring current situation and adapting the event in order to make it accessible, top-quality, and – more than anything – safe.
Creating new paths through this crisis also means creating new facets in our event:
- Parts of the WindEurope Premium Conference and the WindEnergy Hamburg expo might be entirely repurposed for digital platforms.
- Other areas of the event will remain as planned.
- We will also introduce hybrid content, incorporating both in-person and online aspects.
If you have any questions, please see the dedicated FAQ, or get in touch with us or the WindEnergy Hamburg team.
RE-Source 2020: connecting renewable energy buyers and sellers
When: 9-11 December
Where: Hotel Okura, Amsterdam
We know how important it is for corporate buyers and suppliers of renewable energy to continue to work together.
Whether as our traditional gathering at Hotel Okura in Amsterdam, a fully online event, or a hybrid event integrating in-person meetings and digital platforms, RE-Source 2020 will still be taking place.
Over the past 3 years, RE-Source has become a milestone for all of us working in the corporate sourcing of renewables. Our B2B matchmaking activities, deep dive breakout sessions and increasingly diverse buyer and supplier groups have made RE-Source an essential event.
Registrations will open soon – in the meantime, make sure to save the date!
Over 50% of exhibition space already sold for WindEurope Electric City 2021: Europe’s largest on- and offshore wind energy event
When: 27-29 April 2021
Where: Copenhagen
Electric City is a unique event that brings the entire wind industry together with players from beyond wind.
We’re inviting players from storage, hybrids, shipping, mobility, the automotive sector, and many other industries eager to green their power mix. Electric City is where you will:
- Diversify your partnerships;
- Meet new customers; and
- Take your place at the core of an electrified European power mix
Stands are selling out fast. Check out our stand prices here.
