WindEurope Bulletin
WindEurope Bulletin December 2023
6 December 2023
A word from the CEO
Dear WindEurope Member,
In my last message I mentioned the Commission’s Wind Power Package – announced by President von der Leyen during her State of the Union Speech in September, and published end October. If the 15 actions the Plan sets out are implemented correctly, they’ll fast-track the buildout of wind energy in the years ahead. And crucially help our wind supply chain deliver the equipment we need for this expansion. With all the headaches we’ve had to deal with lately – slow permitting, supply chain bottlenecks and bad auction design – this Package could not come soon enough.
The current plan is that national Governments and industry should endorse the WPP before Christmas by signing an EU Wind Charter. I’ll write to you about this again very shortly.
While all this is happening, the nitty gritty carries on. Last month the European Parliament endorsed its position on the Net Zero Industry Act. The Parliament calls for a major overhaul of auction design. They’ve pushed for pre-qualification criteria, an inflation indexation mechanism, and an end to negative bidding. These are all crucial changes which are at the heart of the Wind Power Package as well. Member States are finalising their own position, and trilogues will begin in the first quarter of 2024. Along with all these changes, it’s crucial that the final Net Zero Industry Act also takes a technology-specific approach to supply chain resilience.
Now grids. This is an area which has been badly overlooked up to now. There’s no point expanding our wind energy capacity if we don’t have the grid infrastructure to match it. Thankfully the EU Commission are starting to get this. And last week they issued a new Action Plan – a 14-point programme to bring Europe’s electricity grid network up to date. It’s generally positive. Especially on the need for anticipatory investments. And better top-down planning. But the Plan doesn’t spell out how Member States should reserve grid capacity for strategic net-zero technology. And it could have said more on how TSOs should deal with very long grid connection queues – filtering out speculative projects and prioritising good ones. But this Plan is a good start, and now we can build on it. You can read WindEurope’s list of recommendations on power grids here.
Just a quick word on electricity market design as well. Discussions on this are progressing. The new rules already enshrine anticipatory grid investments, which is great to see. Other than that, we need to ensure the final legislation sends the right investment signals – compared to the investment nadir we found ourselves in last year. We hope policymakers will build on this – and undo the damage we’ve seen from unhelpful market interventions.
Finally I’d like to thank all of you who came to our End-of-Life Issues and Strategies Seminar in Rotterdam. This was the most well-attended EoLIS event so far – and it was great to see so much cross-sectoral discussion and collaboration. It’s clear that we need to do more to tackle the turbine end-of-life question. We won’t be able to deliver the volumes Europe needs for its energy security unless we push to repower wherever we can.
We’ve plenty of other events to look forward to in the New Year – including WindEurope’s next Annual Event in Bilbao from 20-22 March. More on this below. In the meantime I’d like to wish you all a well-deserved rest this month – and to thank you again for all your time, input and dedication this past year. A very happy Christmas to you all.
Kind regards,
Giles Dickson
WindEurope Intelligence Platform
Our featured product this month
National Policy and Regulatory Developments – Q3
This report has the latest wind energy related national policy and regulatory developments in Europe. It also shows a support mechanism overview for new wind farms and the permitting requirements for the large and medium European markets.
EasyPermits
Europe needs to build 31 GW of new wind energy per year to get itself on track to meet its climate and energy goals. But there’s a greater volume stuck in the permitting process than actually under construction at the moment – around 80 GW of projects. The EU and National Governments are beginning to tackle the permitting bottleneck – but without the right tools, national and local authorities can only go so far.
EasyPermits is a dedicated tool to help streamline and fast-track permitting processes on the ground, while taking key considerations into account (e.g. biodiversity, communities etc.) It has already been trialled with a number of authorities in Denmark – with great success. We’re hoping to see a more general roll-out across Europe in the start of 2024.
Check out this video for an introduction – and check out this page for a full rundown of the project.
Members Successes
Rugged tablets help sustainable energy companies keep wind farms turning
European energy companies, committed to renewable energy generation, are harnessing the power of rugged tablets to revolutionise offshore wind farm maintenance.
Engineers, operating in the wind farms located off the coasts of the European mainland and UK, need a reliable device that can withstand the harsh environmental conditions, ensuring uninterrupted service and maintenance of wind turbines.
Traditionally, hundreds of engineers relied on regular business laptops, which proved inadequate for the demanding challenges in the rough seas around wind farms. The devices were exposed to heavy knocks and vibrations when transported via helicopters and boats. They were also expected to operate in heavy rain, despite the exposure to corrosive saltwater. These types of devices quickly deteriorated, leading to frequent replacements, hampering productivity and incurring significant costs.
To overcome these challenges, energy companies are turning to Panasonic’s rugged TOUGHBOOK G2 tablets – meticulously tested to meet the MIL-STD-810H standard and officially IP65-rated for water and dust resistance. These devices not only match the demanding nature of the work being carried out, but are also exceptionally resilient to extreme weather conditions.
To ensure proper tablet maintenance and longevity, Panasonic have provided comprehensive extra video instructions on safeguarding the devices after exposure to the elements. Engineers are shown how to rinse the tablets with fresh water to remove salt residue, and then drying them to prevent corrosion. This proactive approach to maintenance helps to significantly extend the tablets’ lifecycle.
The versatility of the rugged tablets has also been a key factor in their uptake. Equipped with advanced hardware, software, and enhanced identity protection, the tablets offer confidence in the security and integrity of data, irrespective of the engineers’ locations. Engineers can easily handle the tablets while working at heights of up to 260m. The rubberised exterior provides a secure grip, and the touchscreen can be easily handled using gloved hands or a digitiser pen in rainy conditions.
Operating in remote locations, confidence in connectivity and accuracy in geo-location technology is an important factor. Panasonic Toughbook devices offer optional 4G LTE/5G for greater connectivity and Panasonic is still the only rugged device manufacturer with its own development and testing facility for antenna communication and accuracy.
Energy companies also value the tablets’ extensive customisation options. With two configurable interfaces, different modules such as smartcard and barcode readers can be easily added. This flexibility allows the tablets to be tailored to specific use cases, boosting its productivity and efficiency.
The adoption of rugged tablets has yielded remarkable results for energy companies. Failure rates have fallen sharply to Panasonic’s industry standard of less than 2% across all devices, ensuring maximum uptime. This lower failure rate eliminates unnecessary parts replacements, encouraging sustainability through major reductions in electronic waste.
As the renewable energy industry continues to grow and looks for sustainable solutions, Panasonic TOUGHBOOK could prove to be an ideal partner in the years ahead.
Sereema – Key milestones in 2023
Sereema is a pioneering tech company focusing on wind turbine operation and maintenance excellence. Its flagship solution, Windfit, embodies a comprehensive and user-friendly digital platform, offering autonomous optimisation capabilities and performance monitoring through an intuitive web portal. This empowers wind farm operators to maximise energy production and ensure the longevity of their assets.
In a year marked by substantial advancements in the wind energy sector across Europe, Sereema has expanded its commitment to enhancing wind farm performance on a larger scale. The strategic collaboration with connectivity providers has extended our reach to more than 160 countries, fortifying our global communication network. Notably, the company reached a significant milestone by equipping over 1,500 turbines with Windfit across 17 countries.
Reflecting on the past year, Sereema is pleased to share other noteworthy achievements. Key statistics include the monitoring of 645 wind turbines with high-frequency Windfit data, equivalent to 1.6 GW of capacity. Notably, 35% of these turbines exhibited potential gains, leading to a significant production increase of 1.7% AEP on average, translating to an estimated €1.5 million in revenues per year. A standout discovery was the correction of a yaw misalignment on a 1.5 MW turbine, resulting in an 11% gain in Annual Energy Production (AEP).
Sereema’s commitment to tailored analyses is exemplified by our work, including the quantification of the Wake effect on a Nordex wind farm in France. In Portugal, Windfit was also utilised for power upgrade confirmation and to quantify the increase of AEP following the improvement of the Yaw controller. Additionally, our newly introduced Windfit fleet optimisation service was used by asset managers to analyse production at fleet, farm, and turbine levels.
Looking ahead, Sereema is steadfast in its belief that operational excellence will play a pivotal role in securing the long-term profitability of wind assets in Europe. The company’s primary focus is to enhance closeness with its partners, working collaboratively to support them in realising this ambitious objective.
Share your successes with us!
Is your brand bringing new, ground-breaking solutions to the wind industry? Have you recently launched a major project in your field? Do you have positive business news to share?
Then make sure to get in touch with us here at WindEurope – we’ll be happy to promote your success story as part of our monthly Bulletin! This is a chance to share your accomplishments with thousands of others from right across the wind energy value chain – a major visibility boost.
Please be aware that this service is only available to members from the categories C3 and above. Publication of stories is on a first come, first served basis.
Get in touch with our Membership team now to send in your news!
Member’s interview: DTEK Renewables
This month, we sat down with Oleksandr Selyshchev, CEO of DTEK Renewables, to look at the impact of Russia’s invasion on Ukraine’s energy system, their achievements despite the onslaught, and their hopes for a free Ukraine powered by renewable energy.
Events
EoLIS 2023 – Check out the event proceedings
Thanks to all of you who made the journey to Rotterdam for this year’s End-of-Life Issues and Strategies Seminar. This was an eye-opening look at the fate of our older turbines – and a chance to consider our options from a circular point of view. Make sure to join us again next year for the latest insights and breakthroughs in turbine end-of-life.
The event proceedings are now live – all WindEurope Members can access them in the Members’ Area.
WindEurope’s Annual Event – see you in Bilbao this March!
WindEurope’s biggest event of the year returns to Bilbao from 20-22 March! Three days, dozens of conference sessions, hundreds of exhibitors, and more than 12,000 attendees from all over the world! This is your chance to see the whole industry on show – and to hear about the latest challenges and opportunities facing wind energy in Europe.
With all the pressure we’ve faced as an industry, we’re always on the lookout for fresh voices and groundbreaking ideas. And that’s where the Startup Pavilion comes in! This is a dedicated space on the exhibition floor for startups to showcase their brands. It’s a unique platform for industry exposure, and a chance to network with thousands of prospective clients and partners. So if you’re a fresh face in wind, looking to get your foot in the door, get in touch with us now!
Keep an eye out for more news on Bilbao over the next few weeks. We’ll be opening registrations and launching the three-day programme later in December, so stay tuned!
WindEurope Technology Workshop 2024 – Send us your abstracts
The WindEurope Technology Workshop is our annual catch-up of technical enthusiasts – looking to boost our yield, strengthen our operations, and refine our methods of resource assessment. And it’s a chance to showcase pioneering new approaches to 400+ experts and thought leaders from across the sector.
This time we’ll be heading to Dublin, capital of one of Europe’s windiest countries, to hear about how we can best utilise our wind resource – and fast-track the energy transition.
In the meantime – we’ve opened a call for abstracts, a unique chance for you to put new items on the agenda, to shape the programme, and to showcase your insights. Click here for more details on what to send in – and the suggested topics. The call runs until 26 January 2024 – but feel free to submit your response asap! We look forward to hearing from you!
