WindEurope Bulletin
Wind Europe Bulletin May 2017
2 May 2017
Giles Dickson
A time of opportunities
Don’t wait for opportunities, create them! Both the wind industry and WindEurope abide by this principle. It fuels our constant drive for innovation and improvement. In this spirit can I highlight to you all three great opportunities you may want to exploit in May and June.
The first is Offshore Wind Energy 2017, the world’s largest offshore wind energy conference and exhibition. It’s taking place in London on 6-8 June. Together with our event partners RenewableUK, we look forward to welcoming thousands of leading and emerging players in the offshore wind energy sector from all over the world.
With our event ambassadors DONG Energy, MHI Vestas, ScottishPower Renewables and Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, we will focus on the need for governments to commit to new and increased volumes for offshore wind deployment in Europe. The recent results of the first German offshore wind tender show why Governments need to up their ambition on offshore wind. Sure, the “zero subsidy” achieved in the tender for 1.4GW is not a new norm. But the results confirm last year’s trend of rapidly falling offshore costs. And politicians need to sit up and take notice. Clarity over future projects in European waters is now essential for the industry to drive costs further down.
The conference will offer a first-hand view of the latest trends and technologies and the opportunities and challenges facing offshore wind. The 30+ sessions and 150+ speakers will cover topics such as auctions and new finance models; floating and next generation technologies; win-win synergies with oil and gas industries; and future frontiers for offshore development (China, US, Taiwan and more).
At the exhibition you’ll find over 400 exhibitors. An excellent opportunity to network with key figures who are at the forefront of the industry. If you haven’t done so yet, can I urge you to register here for the conference and exhibition.
The second big opportunity is the WindEurope Open Day in our offices in Brussels on 29 June. This is a chance to:
- get to know the WindEurope team that works daily on your behalf to shape energy policy. The staff will give a series of presentations on different aspects of their work;
- visit the European Parliament and learn how Brussels affects your activity;
- talk to WindEurope Board members who drive our strategic agenda; and
- party and network with 300+ other key industry and other players at our annual summer reception in the evening of 29 June.
In short the Open Day will be a chance to learn how to make the most of your membership. You can register here.
The third and final thing I want to flag is WindEurope’s annual report on the financing of wind to be published this week on our website. Wind energy attracted more investments than any other power technology in Europe in 2016 and broke several new records. €43bn were raised for the construction of new wind farms, refinancing operations, project acquisitions and public market financing. Major IPOs raised €5.2bn in 2016 – the highest level in the last seven years. The report tells the full story.
I hope to see you soon.
Members’ successes
1.4 GW offshore wind announced in Germany with zero public financial support
On 13 April, the German network regulator announced the results of the first offshore wind auction in Germany.
EnBW and DONG Energy have won the rights to build offshore wind farms in the German North Sea.
Commenting on the results, WindEurope CEO Giles Dickson said:
“The result of the first offshore auction in Germany is excellent news. For the offshore industry and for energy consumers. It proves that the trend towards cost reduction in offshore wind continues. And that record-breaking bids in Denmark and the Netherlands in 2016 were no exceptional cases.
Government schemes for offshore wind like in Germany have been instrumental to reduce costs. They have allowed the industry to mature and accelerate its learning curve. And by providing stable revenues to operators of offshore wind farms, financing costs were cut to a minimum.
The 900 MW He Dreiht offshore wind farm will be built and operated by EnBW without government support. That’s a first and thus another game-changer. It shows that offshore wind is now on a par with conventional power generation.
For more information, see here.
Announcing the launch of the new Members’ Interviews feature on WindEurope.org
This week, WindEurope will launch a new feature on its website: the ‘Members’ Interviews’ page.
In this weekly feature, we will publish question-and-answer sessions with you, the members of our association. This is the perfect opportunity to share your views on the opportunities and challenges facing the wind industry today and going forward.
Every week, WindEurope will publish a new interview on its website. This weekly interview will also be featured prominently on social media, ensuring maximum exposure for your organisation while giving you a platform of thousands with whom you can share your vision for wind energy.
If you would like to participate in this project, we want to hear your voice!
Member interviews will be conducted on a first-come, first-served basis – so don’t delay!
Please contact our copywriter, Colin Walsh at [email protected], to arrange an interview. Colin will send you the interview questions and then prepare your answers for publication on our communication channels.
We look forward to this exciting new chapter of our collaboration together!
Policy and Projects
EU projects on offshore supply chain and featured in London
Two EU-funded projects on offshore wind that are nearing completion will be featured at Offshore Wind Energy 2017:
LeanWind side event on 6 June: “Innovative solutions for an efficient wind farm supply chain”. The event will look at making the supply chain more cost competitive with traditional forms of energy and will provide examples of innovative technologies such as new vessel designs and novel substructure concepts.
IRPWind will be present in the poster area on 6 and 7 June, holding matchmaking sessions and guiding attendees to European research activities with which they can explore synergies.
Events
Offshore Wind Energy 2017: The world’s largest offshore wind conference and exhibition!
Co-organised by WindEurope and RenewableUK
Where: The ExCeL London, Royal Victoria Dock, 1 Western Gateway, London E16 1XL, UK
When: June 6-8 2017
Time is running out to take your place at Offshore Wind Energy 2017, the year’s most spectacular offshore wind energy event!
Registration is now open for this unmissable summer event! Join over 10,000 visitors and more than 400 exhibitors at Offshore Wind Energy 2017. With over 150 conference speakers and keynote addresses from policy, market and technology leaders, this event will put you at the forefront of the offshore wind industry.
Make sure to represent your company at the most important event in offshore wind energy!
SPECIAL OFFER: DEMO ZONE PACKAGE
Places have almost run out for our special Demo Zone package, where you will have the opportunity to demo your product or solution to an audience of thousands, next to high-traffic special features and spectacular technical demonstrations, 3 times over 3 days! Contact David Moyle for more details on this special offer, or click here to book your stand immediately.
The corporate PPA event: RE-Source 2017 Connecting renewable energy buyers and sellers
Save the date and join Europe’s leading information and networking event on corporate sourcing of renewable energy!
This event will bring together a range of multinational corporations, renewable energy developers and senior decision-makers to raise awareness, exchange information and facilitate connections in order to rapidly increase the procurement of renewable power.
For more information on this exciting event and the topics covered, visit resource-event.eu.
Call for abstracts open in May for WindEurope Conference & Exhibition 2017
This November, the wind industry will be meeting in Amsterdam!
When: 28 – 30 November 2017
Where: Amsterdam RAI Exhibition and Convention Centre, Europaplein 22, NL 1078 GZ, Amsterdam
The call for abstracts will open in mid-May for the WindEurope Conference & Exhibition 2017.
Call of abstracts deadline: 18 June 2017
The conference programme will feature 35 sessions on the following topics:
- Market developments
- Resource assessment*
- Turbine technology*
- Supply chain, O&M & logistics*
- Health & safety*
- Integrating wind power into the electricity market*
- Environmental impacts & social acceptance*
- Finance*
* = included in call for abstracts
AWEA WINDPOWER 2017 Conference & Exhibition
When: May 22, 2017 – May 25, 2017
Where: Anaheim, CA, USA
WINDPOWER 2017 is the largest North American wind energy trade show. With wind power contributing more new electric generating capacity in 2015 than any other source, wind power is on track to generating 10% of American electricity by 2020.
This conference and exhibition is the ideal event for those wishing to learn more about the most exciting renewable energy resource in North America.
Register today!
