Wind is one of the best represented renewable technologies, both politically and economically. In drafts of its communication on financing strategic energy technology (SET) - scheduled for adoption on 9 October - the European Commission even dangled the sum of €5.5 billion in funding over the next ten years for a future EU programme, the European Wind Initiative (EWI). According to the Commission, the return would be fully competitive wind power generation capable of contributing up to 20% of EU electricity by 2020 and as much as 33% by 2030. More than 150,000 skilled jobs could be created, believes the executive ⁽¹⁾.

The Commission’s proposed EWI picks out a series of technological and other challenges aimed specifically at cost reduction and boosting offshore deployment. This includes larger, better designed and automatically manufactured onshore wind turbines. Offshore, especially deep offshore, will require more powerful and resilient wind turbines together with new materials, components and substructures. The Commission also appears to favour funding more automated and optimised manufacturing processes and logistics as well as upgraded electricity networks concepts that can operate a large number of distributed wind power plants.

More specifically, the Commission’s communication notes the need for better mapping of European wind resources in Europe, construction of 5-10 testing facilities for new turbine components and up to ten demonstration projects of next generation turbines. Other items on the shopping list, aside from a comprehensive research programme aimed at improving wind turbine conversion efficiency, are over five prototypes of new offshore substructures tested in different environments, demonstration of new manufacturing processes, testing new logistics strategies and erection techniques.

AMBITIOUS FEDERATION

The European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) is certainly ambitious. At its recent offshore wind conference, the association’s President, Arthouros Zervos, noted that over 100 GW of offshore wind projects are currently being planned in Europe, This 100 GW is equivalent to some 373 TWh of electricity, around 8.7% to 11% of the EU’s electricity demand. It would also avoid over 200 million tonnes of CO ₂ emissions per year, according to the association’s recent offshore road map. EWEA promises 230 GW in total of wind power by 2020, with 40 GW coming from offshore by that same date and 150 GW from offshore by 2030.

Part of wind’s optimism comes from simple mathematics. EWEA CEO Christian Kjaer points to the net increase in power capacity in the EU over the period 2000-2008. Whilst gas jumped by over 83 GW, wind energy is up over 55 GW in new capacity installed in that period. There was a decline for nuclear (-6,251 MW), coal (-11,216 MW) and fuel oil (-13,021 MW) over the period. Together with photovoltaics (8,827 MW), hydro (2,921 MW), biomass (1,907) and other renewables (1,183 MW), renewables accounted for just under half of the net increase in power.

Kjaer, though, admits that there may be problems ahead (“challenges” is the word used). “The cost for grid improvements to facilitate nuclear was paid for by everybody. This is not the case for wind power. Some 20-25% of our costs are just related to grid changes,” notes Kjaer. The year 2010 will be a key one, with the Commission expected to publish a blueprint for a North Sea grid aimed at integrated offshore wind. EWEA is also calling on European transmission system operators (TSOs) to be suitably “visionary” towards wind when publishing its first ten-year network development plan.

Bottlenecks could also arise in the supply chain, especially for offshore with its reliance on complicated logistics. EWEA, in its offshore report, admits that an entire new supply chain for offshore wind will have to be developed, on a scale that matches the North Sea oil and gas industry. Another major problem is the lack of integrated maritime spatial planning and the growing need for consolidation at European level.

The bureaucratic difficulties are exemplified by Thornton Bank, a far shore wind farm developed by C-Power, some 30 kms off the Belgian coast in the North Sea. C-Power CEO Filip Martens refers to a ten-year period of requesting planning permissions before the project began contributing electricity to the grid. On top of that, construction of individual turbines requires permits from up to 12 different authorities (port, sea and naval police) as well as taking account of difficult weather conditions.

POLITICAL SUPPORT

Wind, though, enjoys political support, especially at European level. Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs, speaking at EWEA’s offshore wind conference, was full of praise for the renewable energy. The EU, in May 2009, allocated €565 million from the European economic recovery plan for offshore wind-related projects. Piebalgs now expects the entire sum to be committed to some ten projects, leading to a total investment of over €4 billion. In July, the European Investment Bank for the first time assumed project finance risk for an offshore wind farm (worth €300 million for Belgium’s Belwind project).

The offshore wind road map is available at www.europolitics.info > Search = 256536

Platform against wind farms

Not all are happy with wind energy. The European Platform Against Windfarms (EPAW) held its first ever press conference in Brussels, in May. According to the new NGO, wind farms are the “modern plague of Europe”. EPAW calls for a moratorium on European wind energy projects. Founded in Paris in October 2008, EPAW now claims 363 signatory organisations in 19 European countries. It states its aims as opposing individual wind farm proposals, questioning the effectiveness of wind farms as a tool for solving energy problems, and protecting flora, fauna and landscapes from the damage wind farms cause directly or indirectly. The organisation also aims to fight the damaging effects of wind farms on tourism, economy, quality of life, health and property value. www.epaw.org

⁽¹⁾ At the end of 2008, cumulative wind power capacity in the EU27 stood at just under 65 GW, with a further 8.5 GW being installed in 2008 alone.