Kategorie: Industry News

News about the renewables scene

Okt. 13

WindEurope Summit 2016: powering the transport and heating sectors with wind energy

Strengthening markets for wind energy includes looking beyond the current power system. To secure a continuous and sustainable deployment of wind energy, new sources of demand for clean electricity will be crucially needed. Sector coupling is the key word in this discussion. Heating and transport represent the largest shares of energy demand across Europe. In order to fulfil the EU’s climate and energy goals, these sectors need to find solutions for decarbonisation. The good news is that an increasing number of motor manufacturers are rapidly developing electric vehicles. And that technologies for renewable heating are readily available.

The electrification of these sectors will increase power demand and direct new investments into renewable technologies such as wind energy. It will allow for greater flexibility in our power system and could increase the range of storage options. Synergies across the entire energy system need to be identified to maximise the cost-efficient decarbonisation and modernisation of Europe’s economy.

But the question is how to do all this? Does the EU have an answer? The European Commission has had its say as it published strategies on the decarbonisation of both the transport and the heating sector. Delegates at the WindEurope Summit 2016 convened in a dedicated session on sector coupling to discuss the road ahead for combining renewable power and the uptake of electric vehicles and an increased use of renewable heating.

Okt. 06

11 companies call for investor protection in the EU: Statement of the Investment Protection Coalition

The signatories of this declaration gather investors in the energy sector, who share the conviction that the rule of law principle underpinning investor protection is one of the European Union’s key advantages in the global competition for quality investments. All too often, this principle has failed investors in recent years.

While the industry acknowledges the need to adjust regulatory frameworks over time to respond to declining technology costs and market developments, retroactive changes are a misguided answer and erode investor confidence in the EU energy infrastructure sector where costs are sunk from the moment of the investment and there is very limited ability to improve profitability thereafter. Accordingly, investors in the space have no choice but to expect long-term regulatory stability for renewable energy plants. Thus any regulatory change should be concerted, non-retroactive, non-discriminatory, and avoid any legal gaps that would undermine investor certainty.

The renewable energy sector has provided many examples of sharp policy reversals since 2011. These range from retroactive tariff cuts for existing investments in Spain, Romania, the Czech Republic, Greece, and Italy, to abrupt policy reversals and rapid withdrawal of support to projects under construction or development in Finland and Poland. The EU’s lack of action in these cases has led investors to bring legal claims in national courts, and increasingly in international arbitration under the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) which was created and spearheaded by the EU in the 1990s. 50 investor – state disputes have been recorded in the last three years under the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT), with Spain alone facing more than 25 lawsuits.

Sep. 27

No gold medal for Europe in renewables without more ambitious policies

Europe number 1 in renewables? Successful energy transition? Not without more ambitious policies, innovation and electrification, according to a new WindEurope report.

‘Making Transition Work’ outlines a number of specific policy recommendations for Europe’s decision makers to ensure the EU meets its energy and climate goals over the next two decades.

First, the EU should raise its ambition to at least 30% of renewables in final energy consumption by 2030. Second we need continued innovation to reduce costs and support the integration of renewables in the energy system. Third, electricity markets need further reform: to make them fit for more renewables and provide the necessary conditions for investment. And we need to push the electrification of heating, cooling and transport with power playing an important role in reaching the European climate and energy targets.

Sep. 26

People can power the energy revolution

Over half of citizens in the European Union could be generating their own renewable electricity by 2050, according to new research released today.

The research outlines the potential for citizen-owned renewable energy projects in Europe, where 264 million „energy citizens“ could generate 45% of the European Union’s electricity needs by 2050 – as part of a democratised energy system.

Molly Walsh, community power campaigner for Friends of the Earth Europe, said: „This shows that people have the power to revolutionise Europe’s energy system, reclaiming power from big energy companies, and putting the planet first. We need to enshrine the right for people to produce their own renewable energy in European and national legislation.“

Sep. 25

WindEurope: Behov for ambitiøs klimapolitik i EU

EU er ved at falde bagud på vedvarende energi – Kina har større volumen, Indien mere ambitiøs klimapolitik og USA indhenter os teknologisk. Sådan lyder konklusionen i en ny rapport fra WindEurope, der opfordrer til en mere ambitiøs klimapolitik, innovation og øget elektrificering, hvis EU fortsat skal have global konkurrenceevne og forblive nummer ét inden for vedvarende energi.

EU bør hæve ambitionen til mindst 30 pct. vedvarende energi i det endelige energiforbrug i 2030, lyder konklusionen i rapporten fra den europæiske vindorganisation WindEurope.

“Med al snakken om omstillingen til et samfund med lavere CO2-udslip, skulle vindindustrien have gode forhold i Europa, men sådan ser det ikke ud. Klimapolitikken på tværs af EU er mindre klar og ambitiøs end den var før. Kun 7 ud af 28 EU medlemsstater har mål og politikker, der går længere end 2020. Vi har et dysfunktionelt elektricitetsmarked. Omstillingen til auktioner har været mindre jævn end den skulle have været, og vi mangler langsigtede signaler for investeringer,” lyder det fra direktør for WindEurope, Giles Dickson i en pressemeddelelse.

Sep. 21

Største nationale vindpavillon på WindEnergy Hamburg

Hamborg har i de seneste år etableret sig som en vindklynge i hastig fremmarch. Flere af den globale vindindustris største virksomheder har derfor stort fokus på den nordtyske delstat. I år gentager DWEA det succesfulde 2014 set-up for Den Danske Pavillon og samtidig udvides størrelsen af pavillonen, der bliver den største nationale vindpavillon nogensinde etableret.

Vigtigheden af at være til stede ved dette års største vindmesse ses også tydeligt blandt de danske virksomheder. Flere end 90 virksomheder har tilmeldt sig hos Vindmølleindustriens og Eksportforeningens fælles eksportplatform DWEA, der er værter for den verdenskendte Pavilion of Denmark.

Vindmølleindustrien vil ligeledes være til stede på WindEnergy Hamburg 2016, der ventes at få ca. 33.000 besøgende fra 80 lande. Torsdag d. 29. september kan du svinge forbi loungen i Den Dansk Pavillon, hvor vi i samarbejde med Invest in Denmark og State of Green afholder to workshops med fokus på standardisering, test og validering.

Juli 27

Expansion of onshore wind energy in Germany in the first half of 2016

With a net capacity of 1,892 megawatts in the first six months of the year, 2016 looks like being a good year for land-based wind energy expansion. This strong expansion is being driven by the allocation of suitable sites and priority areas in many federal states. There has also been a surge of permits in order to secure the option of installing turbines with legally fixed EEG remuneration rates. In Germany the wind industry is working hard to develop innovation and production bases further. It also aims to use its leading technology to further expand its strong position in what are generally stable markets abroad.

Onshore wind energy in Germany was extended by a net capacity of 1,892 megawatts in the first half of 2016, representing a growth of 73 per cent over the same period the previous year (1,093 megawatts). Factoring in the number of dismantled turbines and the 161 megawatts of repowered turbine capacity in the first six months, this gives a gross capacity increase of 2,053 megawatts. This means a third strong year in a row for reasonably priced onshore wind energy. Taking projects that have already been granted planning permission into consideration, the industry associations VDMA Power Systems and German Wind Energy Association BWE predict a net volume of between 4,000 and 4,400 megawatts for the whole year.

Juli 08

Germany EEG reform a mixed bag for wind energy

Germany’s parliament approved a plan to reform the country’s renewable energy law by ending feed-in tariffs in favour of competitive auctions and putting clear volumes on wind energy deployment.

Lawmakers have agreed to cap the annual auctions for onshore wind at 2.8GW and offer fluctuating tenders for offshore wind in order to control renewables installations over the next decade. The limit for onshore wind is expected to increase after 2020 to 2.9GW a year. The offshore cap, which will apply from 2021-2030, will vary from year to year to ensure that Germany reaches its 15GW wind energy target in the next 15 years.

The reforms are expected to come into effect in January 2017.

Juli 07

Brexit: what it might mean for the wind industry

The full impact and implications of the UK referendum, and what it means for the wind industry short and long term, are impossible to assess properly at this stage. But there are some points we can make with a degree of clarity today.

First, the UK wind market retains a number of strong fundamentals. The UK has lower reserve margins than most other countries in Europe so it needs new generation capacity. The current government has committed to 1GW a year of new offshore wind up to 2030.

Juni 15

Wind Industry Celebrates One Million Jobs

Global wind employment grew 5% last year to reach 1.1M

Worldwide, 15 June. Record wind industry growth was reflected in a 5% increase in employment in the sector, which now employs 1.1 million1 people. Today, on Global Wind Day, GWEC highlights the socio-economic benefits generated by the global wind industry, in addition to supplying clean power. Global Wind Day is a worldwide event that occurs annually on 15 June: a day for discovering wind energy, its power and the possibilities it holds to reshape our energy systems, decarbonise our economies, build new industries and create new jobs.

The increase in employment figures is mainly due to strong installation rates in China, the US and Germany. New job creation is being driven by declining renewable energy technology costs and enabling policy frameworks. As governments continue to struggle with high unemployment rates in many parts of the world, both the current reality and future potential for employment in the wind industry has become increasingly significant.

Mai 20

Energiewende travel guide published in English

Discover and explore the Energiewende – the transformation of the German energy system – in English. The new travel guide “Germany – Experience Renewable Energy“ allows readers to do just that. Edited by the German Renewable Energies Agency (AEE) and funded by the Federal Foreign Office, the travel guide will be published just in time for the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue conference which starts tomorrow. The richly illustrated guide includes some 200 destinations and a large number of maps. The German version was last published in 2014 as an updated edition.

Commenting on the first translation of the Energiewende travel guide into English, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said: “Other countries are following the comprehensive transformation of our energy supply very closely. Scarcely anybody deemed it realistic ten years ago, but today we know that the energy transition is technically and financially feasible.” AEE Managing Director Philipp Vohrer added: “In many ways, Germany is a pioneer when it comes to switching to renewables. This is illustrated in our new travel guide.”

Mai 13

Wind power can meet a quarter of EU power demand by 2030, WindEurope CEO tells Flame

Wind energy can serve a quarter of Europe’s electricity demand by 2030 if policymakers take ambitious measures to reform EU power markets , WindEurope CEO Giles Dickson told the Flame conference in Amsterdam today.

Electricity market reform is the most important way of managing a higher share of renewables in the power mix. “We can achieve this through more intraday trading, fostering demand response, balancing the system across a wider geographical area and allowing renewables to participate in these markets,” Dickson said.

Mai 10

Renewables associations call on EC to model higher RES targets

To maintain global leadership in renewables, Europe should now make a firm and resolute commitment to a flourishing and vibrant domestic renewable energy market by 2030. The European renewables industry calls on the European Commission to factor in higher renewable energy ambition in the post-2020 Renewable Energy Directive.

Apr. 07

WindEurope elects new Chairman

EWEA rebranded to „WindEurope“ and has elected Francesco Venturini, Chief Executive Officer of Enel Green Power, as its new chairman. Mr. Venturini was elected for an 18-month term by WindEurope’s Board of Directors, which is comprised of corporate members, national associations and other organisations. He will succeed current WindEurope Chairman Dr. Markus Tacke, CEO of Siemens Wind Power & Renewables, who has served in the post since October 2014.

EWEA Chief Executive Officer Giles Dickson said: “We’re delighted to have Francesco Venturini as our new Chairman. It’s a key moment for our industry. The outlook for wind power in Europe is uncertain, with declining policy ambition and clarity in many countries.”

März 22

STUDY: COMMUNITY WIND THREATENED BY DISCRIMINATING POLICIES

Study on Community Wind launched: Community Wind threatened by discriminating policies

Studie zur Bürgerenergie vorgestellt: Bürgerwind wird durch diskriminierende Politik bedroht

– Paris climate agreement can only be implemented successfully if based on strong social mobilization

– Practitioners and experts underline key role of small and community based investors for Energiewende

– WWEA presents 10 elements of a global community power strategy

Bonn, 22 March 2016 (WWEA) – WWEA and LEE NRW, the Renewable Energy Association of the German state North-Rhine Westfalia, launched today a study on the current status, main drivers and barriers of community based wind farms. CEOs of community wind farms and other experts were interviewed on favorable and detrimental factors for community wind. The answers reflected unanimously great concerns about the current trend towards auction systems for power from renewable energy. Auctions are usually setting up insurmountable barriers for community based investors. In contrast, simple feed-in tariff systems have been assessed as having paved the way for broad citizens’ participation and community wind farms.

So far, community owned wind farms have been a mainstream investment model in particular in Germany and previously in Denmark, with very positive impact on social acceptance and on distribution of economic benefits, especially on locally added value. Community wind holds globally vast potential for the energy transition from a fossil and nuclear based energy regime towards a democratic, decentralised, emission-free, and truly sustainable energy system. The world has agreed during the COP21 in Paris to achieve such a greenhouse fas neutral, i.e. in fact 100 % renewable energy energy supply by the year 2050, hence it is obvious that governments will have to mobilise their citizens and communities to invest in renewable energy.

März 08

Industry stands together to make economic case for wind energy in Poland

The European wind industry will descend on Warsaw today to make the economic arguments for wind power in a market that faces increasing uncertainty.

The Wind Power Poland 2016 event is organised by the Polish Wind Energy Association and is supported by EWEA. GE and Vestas are headlining as the two event ambassadors.

Poland’s wind market was one of the strongest performers last year – second only to Germany – installing a total of 1.3GW in new capacity as developers pushed forward on projects. To date, the wind industry in Poland supports over 8,000 jobs and generates 600 million zloty in revenue each year

März 03

2015: A positive year for solar

In 2015, solar grew by 15% in Europe connecting 8 GW of solar power to
the grid. Global grid-connected solar increased by 25% to an estimated 50.1 GW in 2015, from 40.2
th GW in 2014. SolarPower Europe presented its industry figures today at the 11 Solar Market
Workshop.

„2015 was an extremely successful year for solar and after 3 consecutive years of decline in Europe it
is especially encouraging to see the sector grow again“ says Oliver Schafer, President of SolarPower
Europe.

The base for Europe’s solar power demand in 2015 derived from mainly 3 countries – UK, Germany
and France. These top 3 markets counted for 75% of the connections, equal to 5.3 GW. In 2014 their
share was also 75%, but equal to 6 GW. For the second year in a row, the UK took first place with an
estimated 3.7 GW.

Feb. 15

Easy access to energy data for everyone

Energinet.dk is now in the process of establishing an easily accessible platform for sharing energy data. For a start, from the summer of 2017, everyone will to be able to access a fully functional beta version of the energy data base.

Feb. 10

China Wind Power Blows Past EU – Global Wind Statistics release

Record Chinese installations drive global market past 63 GW

Powered by an astonishing 30,500 MW of new installations in China, the global wind power industry installed 63,013 MW in 2015, representing annual market growth of 22%. The US market reached 8.6 GW on the back of a strong fourth quarter surge, and Germany led a stronger than expected performance in Europe with a record 6 GW of new installations, including 2.3 GW offshore. Total global capacity reached 432,419 MW at the end of 2015, representing cumulative growth of 17%.

“Wind power is leading the charge in the transition away from fossil fuels”, said Steve Sawyer, Secretary General of GWEC. “Wind is blowing away the competition on price, performance and reliability, and we’re seeing new markets open up across Africa, Asia and Latin America which will become the market leaders of the next decade. Wind power led new capacity additions in both Europe and the United States, and new turbine configurations have dramatically increased the areas where wind power is the competitive option.”

As a result of its extraordinary annual market, China has edged past the European Union in terms of total installed capacity, with 145.1 GW to the EU’s 141.6 GW. The Chinese government’s drive for clean energy, supported by continuous policy improvement, is motivated by the need to reduce dependence on coal which is the main source of the choking smog strangling China’s major cities, as well as growing concern over climate change. Elsewhere in Asia, India chalked up a respectable 2,623 MW, pushing past Spain into fourth place in terms of cumulative capacity, after China, the US and Germany; and Japan, South Korea and Taiwan added some new capacity as well.

Feb. 10

Europe risks losing its leadership in wind energy without a clear policy vision for renewables towards 2030.

Europe risks losing its leadership in wind energy without a clear policy vision for renewables towards 2030.

In 2015, China overtook the EU for total installed wind energy capacity, according to statistics released today by the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC). China installed almost 3 times as much wind than the EU and now has 145GW total capacity to the EU’s 142GW.

Giles Dickson, Chief Executive Officer of the European Wind Energy Association, said: “China overtaking the EU in wind energy is watershed moment. It sends a powerful message to policymakers: if Europe really wants to be number one in renewables it needs to get its act together. We need a clear EU vision for renewables beyond 2020. And great ambition and clarity from individual Member States.

Feb. 10

44 procent af al ny elproduktion i Europa kommer fra vind

I 2015 voksede vindenergi igen med mere ny produktionskapacitet end nogen anden form for energiteknologi i Europa. Det viser nye tal fra EWEA.

I de 28 medlemslande stod vindudbygningen nemlig for mere end 44 % af al ny elproduktionskapacitet med i alt 12,8 GW net-tilsluttet vindenergi, nærmere bestemt 9.766 MW onshore og 3.043 offshore. Det er en stigning på 6,3 % fra sidste år. Det betyder også, at den samlede vindenergi-kapacitet i Europa nu udgør 142 GW og dækker 11,4 % af Europas elforbrug.

Flere investerer i vind
Også de investerede summer i vind frembød en markant stigning fra året før med en samlet investering i land- og havvind på 26,4 mia. euro, hvilket udgør en stigning på 40 % i forhold til året før.

Feb. 02

Le photovoltaïque en 2015 : production record, marché timide

Sur base de son Observatoire et de sa Météo renouvelable, l’APERe dévoile le bilan statistique 2015 du solaire photovoltaïque en Belgique. Quatre éléments marquants en 2015 :

1. Le marché belge survit grâce aux placements de petits systèmes, mais s’avère moribond pour les grandes installations ;

2. Une année record de productivité solaire ;

3. Le parc a produit 3,2 TWh d’électricité solaire (Elia) ;

4. L’équipement est très contrasté entre les trois régions.

Jan. 16

Dansk vindstrøm slår igen rekord – 42 procent

Vindmøller leverede i 2015, hvad der svarer til 42,1 procent af danskernes elforbrug. I Jylland og på Fyn leverede vindkraft faktisk mere strøm end det samlede forbrug i over 1460 af årets timer.

I 2015 slog danske vindmøller endnu en gang rekord. Samlet set leverede vindmøllerne, hvad der svarer til 42,1 procent af det samlede danske elforbrug, og det er det højeste tal nogensinde og den højeste andel for noget land. Sidste år var tallet 39,1 procent – også det var verdensrekord.