WindEurope Bulletin
WindEurope Bulletin September 2022
1 September 2022
CEO Foreword
Dear WindEurope Member,
The energy situation in Europe is now critical. Electricity and gas prices are at record highs and we face the very real risk of energy shortages as we head into winter. Energy security and affordability are now Governments’ top priority.
REPowerEU, Europe’s energy response to the war, is a step in the right direction. This crisis has shown even more clearly that Europe has to move away from imported fossil fuel sources ASAP – and to replace it with affordable, home-grown renewables. The EU are now asking for 510 GW of wind by 2030. That’s 39 GW a year of new wind that we have to build between now and then. But we’ve a number of hurdles to contend with.
First – our supply chains. Despite Europe’s big ambitions for wind, the industry is struggling. Europe’s five turbine manufacturers are running at a loss. Higher steel prices and shipping costs are making turbines more expensive. Manufacturers have to absorb these extra costs, especially when their contracts with developers aren’t indexed.
Second – permitting. Cumbersome legal frameworks are holding up the buildout of wind. This means the market for new turbines is less than half of what it needs to be to deliver REPowerEU. We need to streamline and simplify as much as possible. EU policymakers are hammering out new and improved permitting provisions as part of the Renewables Directive. These will recognise renewables as being in the “overriding public interest”. But it’s critical we get the detailed measures right, like clarifying that all permitting processes, including on the environmental impact assessment, fall within the 2-year permitting deadline.
Third – auction design. We need to get this right. That means Contracts for Difference wherever possible. The indexation of auction tariffs. And no negative bidding or at least if it happens it should be capped. It’s unhelpful that Germany’s new offshore wind law allows for uncapped negative bidding. And we need to ensure Governments introduce the right sort of non-price criteria in their auctions. These reward the industry for sustainability, job creation, community engagement and efforts at energy system integration.
See our latest infographic recapping why the wind industry is struggling despite high electricity prices, and what Governments can do to fix it.
But while the EU works on rolling out REPowerEU, we’ve seen encouraging signs on the ground from National Governments. France has taken emergency measures to shore up wind power generation. This means boosting electricity generation over the coming months and more energy security for business and individuals. They’ve also doubled the size of their planned Oléron offshore wind farm to 2 GW. Meanwhile Greece has brought in a new offshore wind law aiming at 2 GW of offshore by 2030 – much of it floating. Sweden has set aside new zones for offshore wind expansion, and it’s pledged to simplify its permitting regime.
Sweden is one of 8 countries around the Baltic that have committed to ambitious new offshore wind goals at a Summit in Denmark – 20 GW in the Baltic by 2030, up from 2.8 GW today. This comes after a similar Summit in May where Germany, Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands committed to 65 GW of offshore wind in the North Sea by 2030, and 150 GW by 2050. Elsewhere the UK awarded 8.5 GW of new wind capacity – in the world’s biggest ever renewables auction. 7 GW to offshore and 1.5 GW for onshore wind. It’s the first time since 2015 that the UK Government has provided public support for onshore wind.
Some of you have asked us about WindEnergy Hamburg (27-30 September). There is no conference this year. WindEurope is participating as European Partner – on the New Horizons Stage. There’ll be a stand reception on Wednesday 28 – do come along if you’re there.
The next WindEurope Annual Event will be in Copenhagen on 25-27 April 2023. There are still a few spaces left in the exhibition. The floor plan is here. Contact our team here – they’ll be happy to assist you with your stand booking. Meanwhile we’ve just opened the Call for Abstracts for the conference. The submission deadline is 30 September. This is a chance to really shape the scope of the event – do share your ideas. WindEurope Members can also take part as abstract reviewers – giving you access to some of the latest market findings and research.
Our annual RE-Source Event on PPAs and corporate sourcing of renewables is taking place on 6-7 October in Amsterdam – the programme is here. This is the ideal setting to build lasting partnerships with corporates looking to go green. You can register here.
As we look ahead to the winter and the challenges it will bring, it’s vital that we keep in touch and pool our efforts as much as we can. I’d like to thank you all for your input so far this year. We will stick with you through the months ahead.
Take care,
Giles Dickson
WindEurope Intelligence Platform
Our featured products this month
With the rapidly changing energy situation, many are wondering why the wind industry is struggling. Europe’s 5 wind turbine manufacturers are all operating at a loss – despite today’s high electricity prices. This infographic explains why.
Wind Turbine Orders Monitoring Q2 2022
This report summarises the announced wind turbine orders in each quarter of the year. It also provides a market analysis of the industry based on the number of orders, capacity ordered, sellers, buyers and other sectorial and technology indicators.
Members Success
Altenex Energy: Insights Platform and Renewables Market Updates
Altenex Energy, an Edison Energy Company, is a global energy advisory firm that helps large corporate, industrial, and institutional clients better navigate the choices, opportunities, and risks that will emerge from the transition to a net-zero future.
To help corporate purchasers move beyond their current clean energy goals to use carbon-free energy 24 hours a day, seven days a week (known as 24/7 CFE), Altenex Energy has partnered with FlexiDAO, which provides software tools for companies to monitor the clean energy they buy and its carbon emissions hour by hour. Users of Altenex’s Insights ™ platform now have access to FlexiDAO’s granular hourly data, as the firms team up to help clients achieve measurable carbon emission reductions cost-effectively and reach their Net Zero goals in the fight against climate change. The firm’s current clients include Microsoft and Google. Altenex and FlexiDAO now intend to serve clients in Europe and the United States together.
Altenex’s Insights platform utilises client-centric technology that puts corporations at the heart of their data, creating transparency and driving insights. This helps simplify power and natural gas procurement, streamlining the supplier bidding process and providing large-scale energy buyers with full transparency into their customised offers, as well as analysis.
Altenex Energy also releases a quarterly Renewables Market Update, which includes a comprehensive assessment of current power purchase agreement pricing developments, policy updates, insights on PPA evaluation, and trends shaping the global renewable energy market.
Hannah Badrei, Altenex Energy’s Vice President of Energy Supply Advisory, will be sharing insights on PPA pricing strategies at RE-Source 2022. Come meet Hannah and the Altenex team on October 6-7 in Amsterdam.
Member’s Insight: Rystad Energy
With the growth of wind power right across Europe, we expect to see a significant rise in demand for the critical materials needed for wind energy. But just how rapid is this growth expected to be, both on- and offshore? And will supply-chain bottlenecks emerge for these materials?
In this Member’s Insight, Petra Manuel – Senior Analyst, Offshore Wind at Rystad Energy – provides us with an outlook for critical and non-critical material demand in the decades to come.
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!
Events
WindEnergy Hamburg 2022
When: 27-30 September
Where: Hamburg
The global wind industry is coming together in Hamburg this autumn, from 27-30 September – with 1,400 exhibitors and 35,000 attendees expected. And WindEurope will be there – as European Partner.
Check out this video for a quick rundown of what you can expect to learn at the New Horizons Stage – one of four conference stages at WindEnergy Hamburg.
Taking place in Hall B6, and in collaboration with VDMA and BWE, you can expect 4 days packed with informative sessions covering relevant topics such as financing, PPAs, renewable H2, market updates, supply chain, floating wind, blade recycling, trends and innovations, and much more!
Registration is open – see the WindEnergy Hamburg ticket shop for more information.
RE-Source 2022
When: 6-7 October
Where: Hotel Okura, Amsterdam
The RE-Source Platform’s Annual Event is back, in Amsterdam on 6-7 October. This is Europe’s largest gathering of green corporate buyers and sellers. And the European PPA scene has never been more relevant.
Whether you’re a clean energy buyer or supplier, big or small, a private or public entity, experienced in renewable energy corporate sourcing or taking your first steps, the RE-Source Event agenda is designed to suit your needs. It’s live now – so take a look below.
Check out the conference programme here
We are also delighted to announce our partnerships with European Aluminium, CEPI, CEFIC, EUROFER, the European Federation of Corrugated Board Manufacturers, the Global Association for Public Transport, EPEE, Digital Europe, GSMA and EuroCommerce. Together they represent the aluminium, paper, chemicals, steel, packaging, public transport, heating and cooling, IT and digital technologies, telecoms, retail and wholesale sectors.
Representatives from these sectors and many more will be joining us in Amsterdam and we’d love to see you there too. So don’t miss out!
WindEurope EoLIS 2022
When: 1-2 December
Where: Belgium
It’s a fact: wind turbines don’t last forever. A large part of Europe’s turbine fleet will come to the end of its operational life over the next 10-15 years.
Now we also have our new energy priorities to contend with. The war in Ukraine has pushed energy security to the forefront. Europe has said it wants 510 GW by 2030. That means a lot of new wind capacity. But it also means we’ll need to maximise our existing assets either through lifetime extension or through repowering where we can.
So how much of this capacity can we repower? How much of it will be decommissioned? And is there a way to sustainably recycle all turbine material?
WindEurope’s End of Life Issues and Strategies Seminar will shed some light on these vital questions. And it’s taking place 1-2 December this year. You’ll be able to share your own insights on this, and listen to hundreds of other experts from across industry and academia.
More info to come on the event soon. We look forward to seeing you this December!
WindEurope Annual Event 2023 – Call for Abstracts Open
When: 25-27 April 2023
Where: Copenhagen
This is a watershed moment for wind. The EU wants decarbonisation and energy security – backed by home-grown renewables. That means an expansion and faster development of wind projects, closer cooperation between different stakeholders and more topics to be discussed.
It’s time for the industry to come together to plot the way forward. At WindEurope’s Annual Event 2023, we’ll be doing just that. But first, we want to hear your ideas!
We’re launching a call for abstracts on technologies, ideas, and solutions to boost our energy security and help us transition to a decarbonised, electrified energy system. You can find a full breakdown of the topics here. The deadline to submit an abstract is 30 September 2022. This is a chance to shape the scope of the event so we look forward to hearing your ideas!
What we’ve been reading: Journal of Wind Energy Science
Wind Energy Science is a new international scientific peer-reviewed open-access journal dedicated to publishing and highlighting studies of fundamental or pioneering research in wind energy, supported and managed by the European Academy of Wind Energy.
Some of the long-term research challenges set out in the scope of the journal include:
- Wind and the atmosphere
- Fluid mechanics
- Dynamics and control
- Wind technologies
- Materials and electrons
- Operation, integration and impacts
Windflix: New content on the way
Stay tuned; more fresh wind-related content on Windflix in September!
This month we’ll be adding a new batch of videos – covering recent policy developments as well as other news from across the industry. The new videos will be out next week!
Remember to catch up with any videos you might have missed from before the summer break – you can access them here.
