WindEurope Bulletin
WindEurope Bulletin October 2017
3 October 2017
Giles Dickson
CEO Foreword
Dear WindEurope Member,
Welcome to our new leader! I’m sure you’ll wish to join me in extending a warm welcome to our new Chairman, Ivor Catto, Chief Executive Officer of RES (Renewable Energy Systems), who was elected at our September Board meeting. Please also welcome our new Vice-Chairman, Juan Rivier Abbad, Head of Regulation at Iberdrola. We’re delighted to have Ivor as our new Chairman. It will be a great asset to WindEurope to have at our helm one of the world’s largest independent renewable energy companies, with its expertise across wind, solar, power and storage.
You may also have seen that we recently released two major reports that examine the future of wind: our Outlook to 2020 and Scenarios to 2030. The headline message is that wind energy still has enormous potential but we’re going to need the right policies in place to transform the energy system to unlock this growth.
According to our projections, Europe could be on course for an average installation rate of 12.6 GW per year in the years up to 2020. This would take us to a total of 204 GW by 2020. By this date wind would be Europe’s largest renewable energy source, surpassing hydro and providing 16.5% of Europe’s electricity demand. However, this growth is likely to be concentrated in just six countries (Germany, the UK, France, Spain, the Netherlands and Belgium), with Central and Eastern Europe lagging well behind.
The Scenarios for 2030 report shows that wind could provide 30% of Europe’s power by 2030, reaching a total of 323 GW. This would also include the repowering or life-extension of the roughly half of the EU’s existing wind capacity that is going to reach the end of its operational life before 2030.
This level of growth would mean 382 million tonnes of avoided CO2 emissions annually. It would unlock €239bn in investment from 2017-2030, enable the wind industry to support 569,000 European jobs by 2030 and avoid the import of €13.2bn worth of fossil fuels per annum.
The new 2030 scenarios will be extremely challenging to meet. Reaching 323 GW will only be possible if the right policies are in place and significant changes to the energy system are made. This includes greater certainty on long-term revenue stability; significant progress on the system integration of variable renewables including build-out of the grid and interconnectors; and clear policy commitments on electrification. Whenever you present these scenarios, you need to make sure everyone understands major systemic changes are required to unlock wind energy’s potential.
Wind energy is now firmly established as the cheapest form of new power generation. But the outlook from 2020 is uncertain. We as an industry need binding and ambitious National Energy & Climate Action Plans that provide clarity on post-2020 volumes, which will allow cost reductions to continue. This requires a good outcome on the EU Clean Energy Package, which is one of our main priorities in the coming months. With an ambitious European renewables target of at least 35% by 2030, I’m confident that the wind industry can deliver even bigger volumes at competitive cost.
Finally can I highlight our two big events coming up:
- On 10-11 October in Brussels we’ll be holding our event on corporate renewable PPAs (Power Purchase Agreements) in Brussels. This will bring together the renewables industry with industrial and other corporate buyers of renewable power – as well as government policy-makers. We will discuss the next steps needed to rapidly increase the corporate procurement of renewable power; and
- Our annual Conference & Exhibition in Amsterdam (28-30 November). The conference programme is now online. There are 40+ sessions covering market and technology developments in both onshore and offshore wind, system integration, finance and government policy. There is still some space left in the exhibition if you haven’t booked your stand yet – and we’re offering a 50% discount for first-time exhibitors. And then there’ll be a range of side-events covering e.g. civil and military aviation issues, health and safety and improving data exchanges with weather forecasters. I look forward to seeing you all there.
News
Offshore wind energy awarded 3.2 GW in the UK Renewable CfDs auction
©DONG Energy
Three offshore wind projects were awarded with Contracts for Difference (CfD) for a period of 15 years by the UK government during the second round of auctions.
The strike prices went as low as £57.50/MWh for the 1,386 MW Hornsea Project Two (DONG Energy) and the 950 MW Moray Offshore project (EDPR) scheduled for commissioning in 2022/23. This is 50% lower than the results of the first auction held in 2015. The 860 MW Triton Knoll project (Innogy), scheduled for commissioning in 2021/22, will be delivered at a strike price of £74.75/MWh.
The second auction was launched by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) in March 2017.
The strike prices went well below expectations, as the caps for offshore wind were set at £105/MWh for projects planned in 2021/22 and £100/MWh for those that would start generating electricity in 2022/23. All three projects will be built in three phases, with the first phase being completed as early as 2021 and 2022.
The industry welcomes the results from the auctions in the UK as a positive development.
The competitiveness of offshore wind energy is a key factor, and the record-breaking strike prices witnessed in the UK are setting the scene for future cost reductions.
Invitation to share your views in the Member’s Interview feature on WindEurope.org
Are you interested in sharing your vision for wind energy with your industry peers and the wider public? Are you eager to showcase your experience, insight, and ideas?
Then we want to hear from you for the ‘Member’s Interview’ feature on our website. In this regular feature, we publish question-and-answer sessions with the members of our association. This interview is published on our website and featured prominently on social media, ensuring maximum exposure for your organization while giving you a platform of thousands with whom you can share your vision for wind energy.
Member’s interviews are conducted on a first-come, first-served basis. 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.
Members’ successes
Isotrol repowers wind power plant in Spain
Isotrol has added a new wind power plant to its portfolio and is participating in one of the first repowering projects in Spain: the Malpica wind farm.
Located in Costa da Morte in A Coruña, Malpica is currently undergoing a repowering project. The 69 wind turbines that make up the park are being substituted by seven 2.3 MW turbines which will maintain the current power of the plant while doubling the amount energy generated.
Isotrol will be responsible for the new wind farm’s connection and its substation to the delegated office and the control centre. This activity will be developed through the CER Operation Manager solution, designed for the management and the centralized exploitation of renewable portfolios.
This contract signifies a consolidation of the activity developed with Enerfin, the company managing the wind farm in Malpica. Since 2010, Enerfin has relied on Isotrol and its CER system for the centralized management of more than 920 Eolic MW located in Spain, Brazil and Canada.
The Malpica wind farm, with a total installed power of 16.6 MW and an approximate annual production of 66 GWh, will produce enough energy to supply more than 15,000 houses.
Events
RE-Source 2017: The corporate PPA event connecting renewable energy buyers and sellers
When: 10 – 11 October 2017
Where: Steigenberger Wiltcher’s, Brussels
Europe’s leading event on corporate sourcing of renewable energy.
Europe’s leading event on corporate sourcing of renewable energy 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.
See a video where Giles Dickson explains PPAs
WindEurope Conference & Exhibition 2017
When: 28 – 30 November 2017
Where: Amsterdam
85% of exhibition space already sold: Final exhibition spaces available for WindEurope’s Conference and Exhibition 2017
Registration is now open for the most exciting on- and offshore event in the wind energy calendar. Attend exciting conference sessions and share the exhibition floor with 8,000 wind industry players in Amsterdam.
Book your exhibition stand today
Invitation to Members’ Reception at WindEurope Conference & Exhibition 2017
When: Monday 27 November 2017
Where: Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
The Members’ Reception at WindEurope’s Conference & Exhibition will be held in the most iconic museum of Amsterdam, the Rijksmuseum, on Monday 27 November 2017.
Exclusively available to WindEurope members, free of charge, this venue will host attendees for a networking reception adjoining the famous Gallery of Honour. Enjoy a guided visit and marvel at Rembrandt’s “The Night Watch” and Vermeer’s “The Milk Maid” whilst meeting with business colleagues and leads on the eve of WindEurope’s Conference and Exhibition.
Access is exclusively upon invitation and only for the members of WindEurope. Attendance will be based on a first-come, first-served system, and restrictions may be imposed on the number of participants per company.
16th Wind Integration Workshop: Updated Program Online
When: 25 – 27 October 2017
Where: Berlin, Germany
The 16th Wind Integration Workshop offers 25 sessions and great networking opportunities like the Dinner, the Wind Tutorial “Ancillary Services and Wind Power Plants” and a Poster Reception.
Registration Open until 15 October 2017
Energy Transition and the role of renewable energies
When: 30 October 2017
Where: Bucharest, Romania
WindEurope and RWEA are organising the first major event of the wind industry in Romania.
The conference is an opportunity for policymakers and industry representatives to exchange on Governance and the delivery of the Energy Union, addressing challenges in adjusting the energy market to the increasing shares of renewables as well as regulatory challenges for wind energy in Romania.
For registration and more information please contact: [email protected]
Innovations for LCOE reduction in offshore wind energy – technologies, models and strategies
When: 30 November 2017
Where: WindEurope Conference & Exhibition 2017,RAI Amsterdam
At this event we will present how EU-funded projects will contribute to LCOE reduction in offshore wind and, in particular, the results of the LEANWIND, INNWIND.EU and AVATAR projects.
Together with the project partners we will explore the exciting technological innovations, models and new industry strategies that will bring the cost of offshore wind energy further down.
Key topics include the innovative design features of wind turbines larger than 10 MW and the application of lean principles throughout the offshore wind farm lifecycle and supply chain.
Save the Date: Grids meet Renewables – Conference and Best Practice Fair
When: 20 Februrary 2018
Where: Brussels
Renewables Grid Initiative and WindEurope are organising the event ‘Grids meet Renewables’ next 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.
Save the Date: Analysis of Operating Wind Farms – Technology Workshop
When: 15 – 16 May 2018
Where: Vilnius, Lithuania
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. The call for abstracts will open in the coming weeks.
