WindEurope Bulletin
WindEurope Bulletin February 2018
1 February 2018
Giles Dickson
CEO Foreword
Dear WindEurope Member,
As you may have seen, the European Parliament voted the other week that the EU should raise its 2030 renewables target to at least 35% – rather than 27%The Parliament and Member States now need to negotiate the final target and other aspects of the EU’s Clean Energy Package for 2030. And those negotiations start this month. See my video message for more detail.
The key question in the negotiations is will the Member States be willing to agree a higher target and how much higher than 27%. We need your help to spread the message with national Governments that a higher target makes sense economically. My video has the key facts and figures. And our recent publication Local Impact, Global Leadership spells it out in more detail. In a nutshell: the more renewables Europe has, the more consumers will benefit – wind is now the cheapest form of new power generation in Europe. Wind is also a key part of European manufacturing and exports: we support 263,000 jobs in Europe and contribute €36bn to EU GDP. A 27% target would put all that at risk. The difference between 27% and 35% in wind is €92bn investments and 136,000 jobs. Other sectors would miss out too: every €1,000 invested in wind creates €250 value for the wider supply chain including chemicals, steel and construction.
We had a social media campaign ahead of the Europe Parliament vote on the 35% target, and many of you shared the posts (you can see an example here) targeting their members of European Parliament. Many thanks for that. We will do more of this targeted at the national Governments in the coming months so stay tuned.
Also if there was ever a moment to get in touch with your local Member of Parliament it would be now. Invite him/her over to explain what more ambition on renewables means for your business. National Governments need to hear this from as many people as possible and MPs, especially in governing parties, can really help.
The other thing we need your help on in national capitals are the National Energy Plans for 2030 that EU Member States have to prepare under the EU’s Clean Energy Package. The Parliament want more detail and clarity on these National Energy Plans – the Member States want less. The Parliament want five years’ visibility on Member States’ future support for renewables – the Member States want three years’ visibility. Again, the key question is: how willing are the Member States going to be to move on the target?
Can I extend a big “thank you” to all of you who reached out to Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) before the vote on 35%. WindEurope members: between you, you sent over 300 individual emails to different MEPs. And many of you posted messages on social media. It made a difference. Please keep it up now as we lobby national Governments to support a higher target and as national Governments write their National Plans for 2030.
Some dates for your diaries. We are releasing annual offshore wind statistics on Tuesday 6 February and the annual combined onshore and offshore wind statistics on 13 February. Both will cover new installations and new investments in 2017. We’re holding webinars for the respective statistics on 7 and 14 February. Do join us if you can – the webinars are free! You can register here (offshore statistics) and here (combined offshore and onshore statistics).
Then on Wednesday 20 February we’re organising a ‘Grids meet Renewables’ conference and best practice fair in Brussels. It’ll look at best practices in the planning and development of renewables and transmission & distribution grid investments – and how to manage energy networks and infrastructure with growing shares of renewables. We hope you can join us for that.
The next day (21 February), we’re also organising in Brussels a Wind Research and Innovation workshop as part of the European Technology and Innovation Platform. The aim is to identify new opportunities for the sector to ensure Europe remains a global leader in wind energy technology. The workshop outcomes will feed into the EU’s next R&D Funding Programme (“FP9”). The day will start with a breakfast for policymakers on research in next generation offshore wind turbines and their role in meeting our cost reduction challenge.
Our main event this year is the Global Wind Summit in Hamburg on 24-28 September. We’re expecting 35,000 visitors from more than 50 countries. If you want to speak at the conference, submit your abstract by 4 April 2018. For more information on booking a stand see here.
Finally, we sat down this week with the CEO of Vattenfall Wind, Gunnar Groebler, to discuss the key ongoing developments in wind. The interview covers PPAs, electrification, and what “zero subsidies” means for wind. I thought it would be good to share it with you.
Members’ Interview feature
In January 2018, WindEurope sat down to conduct an interview with Gunnar Groebler, Senior Vice President, Business Area Wind at Vattenfall. You can read our discussion of PPAs, zero-subsidy environment and electrification below.
Members’ successes
RES Awarded Contract for 10 MW Frequency Response Energy Storage System
Frank Günther, Managing Director at VBB, and Dr. Matthias Leuthold, Head of Energy Storage Systems at RES
Project development company RES Deutschland GmbH (Renewable Energy Systems) has won a contract put out to tender by Versorgungsbetriebe Bordesholm (VBB) for the construction of a 10 MW battery storage system to supply reserve power.
In addition to supplying an operating reserve, the battery storage system will operate as a stand-alone power system to provide back-up power to the region – sourced primarily from renewables – in the event of a mains network failure. The state of Schleswig-Holstein is providing financial support to fund the pilot of the stand-alone power system. This is RES’ first multi-megawatt storage project on German soil.
The dismantling of conventional power stations and the increased use of renewable energy sources means that new, more flexible frequency stabilisation solutions are required. Depending on the situation, and whether there is an excess or shortfall of energy in the supply network, the use of power from volatile sources can cause fluctuations in frequency which, in turn, can result in problems. By installing a new battery storage system on its own site, Versorgungsbetriebe Bordesholm (VBB) is helping to stabilise the network. The municipality already meets 75% of its annual energy needs with renewable sources. The storage system is designed to provide energy for a limited geographical area – with no interruption to supply – in the event of a fault in the main grid or the total failure of the upstream network. The Bordesholm battery storage system will boast a marketable output of 10 MW, with a storage capacity of 15 MWh.
EU projects
Interreg 2 Seas funding programme to organise two applicant seminars
In preparation for Call 6, the latest – potentially final – call by the Interreg 2 Seas EU funding programme, there will be two “applicant seminars.” The seminars’ aim is to help potential Call 6 applicants develop their Concept Note, the first step in Interreg’s application process. The first of the two seminars will be in Ghent on 21 February and the second will take place in London on 22 February. More information on these events will be published on the Interreg website in the coming weeks.
Call 6 will involve two steps. Step 1 will open in February 2018 with a deadline of 2 May 2018. Step 2 will open for applications on 8 August 2018 and close on 6 November 2018. A final decision is expected in February 2019. Once more information becomes available, it will be published here.
Interreg 2 Seas is being funded over the 2014-2020 period with €241m of European Regional Development Funds. The programme now has over €120m of funding available to fund cross-border cooperation projects in coastal areas of the programme’s limited area: Southern England, Northern France, Flanders, and the Netherlands. The programme has several specific objectives, including low-carbon technologies and technical innovation, and two cross-cutting themes: “support to SMEs” and the “maritime dimension.” Projects must directly contribute to one of the specific objectives to obtain funding for up to 60% of the total project budget.
Upcoming EU calls for proposals
|
EU Funding Programme |
Title |
Code |
Description |
Opening Date |
Closing date |
Type of call |
|
Demonstrate solutions that significantly reduce the cost of renewable power generation |
LC-SC3-RES-13-2018 |
Specific challenge for offshore wind on manufacturing installation and O&M techniques. |
31/10/2017 |
13/2/2018 |
Innovative Action (IA) |
|
|
Call 6 |
Open for projects contributing to an Interreg 2 Seas specific objective such as: including low-carbon technologies; technical innovation |
February 2018 |
2/5/2018 (step 1) |
– |
Events
Global Wind Summit 2018
When: 25 – 28 September 2018
Where: Hamburg
Call for abstracts and reviewers for the world’s biggest wind energy event
The leading German trade fair organisers – Hamburg Messe und Congress – and the most prominent European association – WindEurope – have joined forces to create the Global Wind Summit, the exceptional business, networking and educational gathering for the entire wind energy industry.
Over 35,000 people will attend the largest wind event in the world.
- High-level conference sessions: Focus on the trends and outlook for the wind industry, market developments and finance issues.
- Technical sessions and workshops: Cover the latest developments in wind energy technology, system integration and sector coupling.
- Special focus: Offshore wind, end-of-life issues and digitalisation in wind and beyond.
There are two ways you can help shape the conference programme:
1. Submit an abstract
January 17 – April 4 2018
We are looking for:
- general abstracts from authors/organisations who would like to present their work at the conference and let other participants learn from their expertise.
- scientific abstracts from authors/organisations who would like to present their work at the conference and have it published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
Topics covered:
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2. Abstract review process
9 April – 2 May 2018
WindEurope members and the European Academy of Wind Energy (EAWE) peer review abstracts in their field of expertise. If you are a member of WindEurope and would like to take part in the review, email [email protected] by 1 March.
Note: an application form will be available as of 17 January in the Members’ Area of WindEurope’s website.
WindEurope will publish the final programme schedule and invite those selected to give oral and poster presentations in late May / early June.
Exhibition space is almost sold out. If you have not secured your place at WindEnergy Hamburg do it now! Visit the exhibition page or contact Andreas Arnheim.
Webinar: European Offshore Wind Industry – Key Trends and Statistics 2017
When: 7 February 2018
Where: Online
Following the publication of our offshore statistics on February 6, we will host a webinar on February 7 discussing the latest developments within the offshore wind industry, outlining key construction and financing highlights.
Join us for the full review of what has been a very productive year for the industry, including some analysis on the exciting results from recent tenders. This will be followed by a Q&A session.
Webinar: Wind in Power – 2017 European Statistics
When: 14 February 2018
Where: Online
Following the publication of our 2017 European Statistics on 13 February, we will host a webinar on 14 February discussing the latest developments within the European wind industry, on- and offshore, outlining key installation and financing highlights.
This will be followed by a Q&A session.
Grids meet Renewables – Conference and Best Practice Fair
When: 20 February 2018
Where: Brussels
Renewables Grid Initiative and WindEurope are organising the event ‘Grids meet Renewables’ in February. This event will facilitate an open dialogue between the renewables and grid sectors and deep dive into the opportunities and challenges presented by the energy transition.
Analysis of Operating Wind Farms – Technology Workshop
When: 15 – 16 May 2018
Where: Vilnius
The 2018 edition of Analysis of Operating Wind Farms Technology Workshop will focus on big data and innovative approaches to boost performance and optimise O&M strategies.
Programme goes live: 5 February
See here for a detailed list of the topics we will address.
Interested in exhibitor and sponsorship opportunities? See here for more information
WindEurope Conference & Exhibition 2019
When: 2 – 4 April 2019
Where: Bilbao
The 2019 WindEurope Conference & Exhibition in Bilbao will build on the tremendous momentum achieved in recent years by wind power. Over 8,000 industry insiders and more than 400 exhibitors will gather to expand their knowledge base, make the contacts they need, and shape the vision for the industry going forward.
Energy Storage Summit
When: 27 – 28 February 2018
Where: London
This conference will help you determine the optimal business models for developing storage, through a range of case studies, regulatory updates and market assessment, both in the UK and internationally. You can view the programme for full details.
Members of WindEurope benefit from a 15% discount – simply enter code WE15 upon booking.
17th Wind Integration Workshop
When: 16 – 18 October 2018
Where: Stockholm
Call for Papers! Be one of 120+ speakers at the next workshop! 250+ participants expected! Deadline is 11 May.