Offshore energy could cover 10% of Europe's electricity needs: report
A new report published by the European Wind Energy
Association (EWEA) predicts that European offshore wind projects - both
existing and planned - could soon supply 10% of Europe's electricity.
The report, entitled 'Oceans of opportunity', was presented at the
European Offshore Wind 2009 conference in Stockholm, Sweden on 14
September.
The total of offshore wind energy projects that have been proposed
and are currently being developed have the potential to provide over
100 gigawatts (GW), spread across 18 European countries, 15 of which
are Member States. According to the EWEA, these 100 GW will produce 373
terawatt hours (TWh) and help avoid over 200 million tonnes of carbon
dioxide (CO2) emissions per year.
In order to achieve this goal, the EWEA report calls on the
European Commission, Member State governments, regulators,
transmission-system operators and the wind industry to coordinate their
efforts in both the implementation of projects and the support of
related research and development (R&D). Coordinated action is also
needed to overcome supply-chain bottlenecks that slow down the timely
implementation of projects, the report reads.
The EWEA suggests the introduction of a European offshore wind
energy payment mechanism in the form of a voluntary action undertaken
by relevant Member States and coordinated by the European Commission.
Such a mechanism could accelerate development of technology and attract
investors.
The EWEA report also stresses that a change of mindset is required
with reference to electrical grids: 'We must stop thinking of
electrical grids as national infrastructure and start developing them -
onshore and offshore - to become European corridors for electricity
trade.'
At the Stockholm conference, Swedish Minister for Enterprise and
Energy Maud Olofsson, representing the current Swedish Presidency of
the Council of the European Union, said of offshore wind energy: 'The
resource is there and the developers are ready. Provided governments
are ready to play their part, we can revolutionise Europe's energy
future.'
In turn, European Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs assured
offshore energy stakeholders of Commission support: 'Harnessing the
winds off Europe's coasts [...] would provide an answer to the global
challenges of climate change: depleting indigenous energy resources,
increasing fuel costs and the threat of energy supply disruptions. The
European Commission is committed to doing everything we can to support
offshore-wind developers and make sure the planned projects come to
fruition.'
Referring to the first-ever Commission Communication specifically
dedicated to offshore wind energy, Commissioner Piebalgs remarked: 'At
EU level, this genuine political commitment to offshore wind is
relatively new, but [it has been] very robustly demonstrated during the
mandate of the current European Commission.' The Communication,
'Offshore wind energy: action needed to deliver on the Energy Policy
Objectives for 2020 and beyond', was adopted at the end of 2008.
Increased financial support from the Commission was approved in May
2009, when EUR 565 million were allocated to offshore wind
energy-related projects from the 2009 and 2010 budgets of the Economic
Recovery Plan for Europe.
'This is the beginning of what I believe will be a significant
scaling-up of financial resources dedicated to low-carbon energy
technologies,' Commissioner Piebalgs stated. 'Increased funding is an
important pre-condition for boosting innovation related to offshore
wind, so as to further reduce costs and maintain Europe's global
leadership in this field.' The Commissioner called on EU Member States
to put in place specific support mechanisms in accordance with their
National Renewable Energy Action Plans to ensure the viability of
projects.
