WindEurope Bulletin
WindEurope Bulletin December 2020
26 November 2020
CEO Foreword
Next week is our annual conference ‘WindTV’, running from 1-4 December as part of the WindEnergy Hamburg event. It was going to be in Hamburg. It’s now online. It’ll have all the features of a typical WindEurope conference, with panel discussions, technical sessions, and presentations. But with the TV format it’ll go much further – with interviews, videos, “power talks” and other features. We’ll be broadcasting it live from studios in Brussels, Hamburg, Essen and the UK.
We have a top line-up of speakers. IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol. EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson. Energy Ministers from Germany, Poland, the UK, Belgium, Denmark, Ireland and elsewhere. Top players from finance including the new head of energy at the European Investment Bank. Wind industry CEOs and the CEOs of BASF and TenneT. Key players from technology. Start-ups. And to show the energy transition is now touching all of society, we’ll have a former Eurovision winner and a legendary goalkeeper!
Our Event Ambassadors will be prominent throughout the event: Anja-Isabel Dotzenrath of RWE Renewables, Gunnar Groebler of Vattenfall and Johnny Thomsen of MHI Vestas. And there’ll be plenty of fun features with pub quizzes, virtual drinks, and interviews between kids and wind industry CEOs.
Also, you don’t actually have to tune in on the day. Once you have registered, you can watch the content right up to the end of December.
Registration is now open here.
Some of you have asked about group bookings for your teams. Some have asked if we can offer “staff training” discounts or even help you offer it to staff as an end of year gift. Sure, we’ve created special packages for this and there is still time to book it – Mia can tell you more ([email protected]).
I really hope you and your colleagues will be able to join us on “WindTV”. It’ll be a unique opportunity to learn, exchange ideas, hear the top minds and have some “laptop” fun with your peers – all in a creative, interactive setting we’ve prepared for you.
The week after “WindTV” is our annual RE-Source event on PPAs and corporate sourcing of renewables. It’s online from 7-11 December and will bring together renewables producers with corporate energy buyers / offtakers. It’ll be a mix of discussion and B2B networking. It’ll cover all the latest trends in PPAs, GOs, risk mitigation, aggregation and so on. You can register here.
Finally, can I thank you for the support and engagement you have given to WindEurope throughout the year, especially given the challenging circumstances.
I wish you an enjoyable read.
Giles Dickson
Policy News
European Parliament takes position on Recovery & Resilience Facility; trilogues begin
The European Parliament’s position on the Recovery & Resilience Facility (RRF) was voted in committee on 10 November. Along with the European Commission and EU Council negotiations between the three institutions on the final form of the €672.5 bn funding instrument have now begun.
The European Parliament report says that 37% of each Recovery & Resilience Plan (RRP) must be allocated to climate-related spending. This target has also been endorsed by the Commission and Council. In addition, the Parliament report calls for at least 7% of each RRP to be spent on measures to deliver a “just and green transition”. In order to facilitate public scrutiny of the RRPs, the European Parliament report also calls for a public scoreboard of the plans.
A number of Member States have already published high-level RRPs, including Spain, Portugal, Slovenia, and Czechia. The European Commission is currently engaged in discussions with these Member States on the details of their plans, to ensure they meet both the criteria in the draft RRF regulation and the Commission guidance published in September. This according to a meeting between WindEurope and the Recovery & Resilience Task Force on 19 November.
The Commission guidance for the RRF identifies renewable energy as a priority for the RRPs. It targets the building and sector integration of almost 40% of the 500 GW of renewable power generation needed by 2030, the installation 6 GW of electrolyser capacity, and the production and transportation of 1 million tonnes of renewable hydrogen across the EU by 2025.
Action at the national level is key. The RRPs should earmark substantial envelopes for grid infrastructure, renewable energy auctions, ports, renewable hydrogen, and research & innovation. Where draft RRPs have already been published, engaging with national governments on specific projects will be essential to fill in the gaps and unlock funding under the plans.
It is hoped that the European Commission, European Parliament, and Member States in the EU Council will reach agreement in time for the RRF to enter into operation on 1 January 2021. But roadblocks remain: both Poland and Hungary are currently threatening to veto the EU budget – including the RRF – in protest against a drive to link financial allocations to respect for the “rule of law”.
Floating Wind Report
Europe’s decarbonisation requires stepping up of the deployment of offshore wind for both bottom-fixed and floating, to approximately 111 GW by 2030 and 450 GW by 2050.
The continent is leading in floating wind with both the largest floating turbine in Portugal and wind farm in the UK at sea. Europe could deliver 6-7 GW by 2030 with France, the UK and Norway as the leading European countries. It is crucial to get the policies right to enable the take-off of floating wind to allow it to benefit from economies of scale.
We have done it in the past and considering we share a large part of the supply chain with the bottom-fixed sector we are confident we can achieve a cost reduction to make it competitive. But what should we be calling on governments to do?
- To continue providing long term visibility for stakeholders though a dedicated auction schedule for floating wind – France has set a clear auction timeline starting next year, more countries should do this!
- To upscale port infrastructures and investments – We ask governments to include Ports as part of their Recovery and Resilience Plans
But why are ports so important? Floating wind, as opposed to bottom-fixed, carries most of the assembly onshore. Therefore, ports will need to expand available land, quay reinforcement, storage for components, carrying capacity, cranes and other retrofits to host mass production of floaters and other turbine components.
The report presents the state of play of floating wind, the port-related infrastructure challenges associated to each activity and recommendations to accelerate the industrialisation of this nascent industry. It thus intends to be a discussion-starter for stakeholders, including ports, developers, and technology providers.
Decommissioning of Onshore Wind Turbines Report
The question of decommissioning onshore wind turbines has gained prominence in recent years, as a considerable number of turbines are reaching the end of their expected lifetime – over 34,000 across Europe are 15 years or older, amounting to 36 GW of onshore wind capacity.
Currently, however, the international community has not yet agreed on a standard for onshore wind turbine decommissioning. It was for this reason that WindEurope launched its Task Force on Dismantling and Decommissioning to recommend creating a uniform framework, and this report has been the result of this work.
Through regulatory mapping, the report looks at national frameworks for dismantling, with a focus on resource management, site restoration, and circularity. Wind turbines can be a source of other materials which can be reintroduced into the economy. The resource management section of this report looks at the materials present in wind turbines and recycling or recovery methods in place for them. It also seeks to lay out the least disruptive way of restoring a wind farm into a greenfield site.
Finally, the Health & Safety dimension is also touched upon. Combined with regular correspondence and communication with local authorities, these are perhaps the most immediate considerations to make when proceeding with decommissioning of onshore wind turbines.
Product News
Introducing the WindEurope Intelligence Platform
Have you ever been stuck wondering how many floating wind turbines there are in the world at the moment? Which interesting upcoming wind energy auctions to keep an eye on? Which European countries have the most ambitious energy and climate plans?
It’s your lucky day! The WindEurope Intelligence Platform is here to make your life easier!
The WindEurope Intelligence Platform is a dedicated database that puts all of today’s wind information at your fingertips. From reports to statistics, from interactive tools to conference proceedings, from policy developments to market analyses, the WindEurope Intelligence Platform has it all.
If you have not done so yet, we invite you to create an account with your corporate email domain to access the members-only content!
Come check out the WindEurope Intelligence Platform.
Check out our new Members’ Directory
The WindEurope Members’ Directory has been revamped and upgraded to give you an enhanced user experience!
If you weren’t already aware, the Members’ Directory provides easily accessible information on WindEurope’s members. It allows you to profile your own organisation to the whole wind industry, a great way to enhance your visibility and show off your products and services! You can also use it to look up other players in the WindEurope membership network – and connect with them (as a member, you can add up to 6 individual contact details per company).
Our newly revamped Directory makes the whole process that bit easier. A new navigation tool has been set up, along with an improved search function. Visibility has been changed too – company logos are also displayed alongside names.
As for updating your organisation’s profile, we’re putting you in charge! The main contact of your organisation can now edit the description, add individual contact details, and generally decide how best to profile your organisation. They can do it via the My WindEurope platform, accessible with the previously created log in.
Events
WindTV – WindEurope Annual Conference 2020
When: 1-4 December
The biggest wind energy event of the year is on the way – premiering on 1 December! Register while you still can!
There is a great line-up of speakers: the best we have ever had! And the format is much more varied than before. There’ll be panel discussions and technical presentations. But also interviews, videos, “Power Talks” and other special features. All of it broadcast via the “WindTV” stream, hosted from 4 studios in Brussels, Hamburg, Essen and Shoreham Port (UK).
Check out the programme here!
There’ll be some entertainment too with a pub quiz, virtual beer-drinking and wind industry CEOs being grilled by schoolchildren.
Prices for WindTV Premium Stream will be as follows (all prices below are excluding VAT):
- Members and academics: €349
- Non-Members: €499
- Students: €49
- Free for Policymakers/Speakers/National Associations’ Staff
We are sorry we cannot meet you in Hamburg. But look on the bright side: you save on transport and accommodation; you can chat online while you’re watching the different sessions; you can interact with colleagues without walking around the venue to find them.
Also, you don’t actually have to tune in on the day. Once you have registered, you can watch the content whenever suits you best.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Be part of the Renewable Energy Corporate Sourcing Week
When: 7-11 December
The RE-Source event, taking place from 7-11 December, is the annual gathering of corporate buyers and clean energy suppliers. It’s a place where discussions of existing challenges take place and future solutions are born.
This won’t just be a typical online event. The RE-Source Team and their Partners have prepared many interactive and creative sessions for anyone interested in green energy procurement. You’ll be able to learn, share experience and do business with companies active or interested in the European market.
Be sure to check out the programme for info on sessions over the course of the five days!
Tickets are limited – so don’t wait too long to register!
Electric City 2021: Update
The countdown to Electric City in Copenhagen continues!
We will of course keep you up to date on any developments going into 2021, especially regarding the venue itself as the circumstances evolve.
A reminder that you can still book you stand without any cancellation fees up until 15 January! Click here to book!
If you have any queries, be sure to get in touch with Joana or Tanguy here at WindEurope!
Access the proceedings of this year’s online End-of-Life Issues & Strategies Seminar 2020
From 18-20 November, we hosted the first-ever virtual End-of-Life Issues & Strategies Seminar. During 20 virtual sessions spread over three days, 200 international participants and 60 speakers discussed crucial topics ranging from repowering, lifetime extension and decommissioning.
If you didn’t manage to tune in live this time, don’t worry!
WindEurope members have free access to all the proceedings of this year’s EoLIS event.
