Highlights from Katowice: wind energy the dominant power generation technology for net-zero emissions

The 24^th Conference of Parties (COP24) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is currently ongoing in Katowice, Poland.

This COP is taking place under the Polish Presidency and focusing on three macro areas: technological development, the transition of coal regions, and the objective of climate neutrality.

This week, WindEurope spoke at an event organised by ETUC, the European Trade Unions Confederation, on coal regions in transitions. We presented the socioeconomic benefits of wind energy and discussed the challenges the wind industry sector is facing. With the sector rapidly expanding, there is now a skills gap and the need for more workers. This is particularly urgent: in European Commission’s recently published 2050 decarbonisation strategy, wind energy clearly emerges as the dominant technology, representing between 51 and 56% of the power production in all decarbonisation scenarios. The net-zero scenarios foresee over 1,200 GW of installed wind power capacity in the EU by 2050.

The atmosphere in Katowice is vibrant, with many side events organised on a daily basis and the official international negotiations going on. The EU pavilion hosts daily side events featuring High Level representatives of the EU Institutions and Member States, such as Commissioners, Director-Generals and Ministers. The list of their activities is available here. All COP official negotiations, l meetings and side events are trackable in the calendar. The main aim of the official COP24 negotiations is to discuss and lay down the rules of procedure for the implementation of the Paris Agreement, signed in Paris in November 2015. The High Level segment, where Heads of State and Government meet, exchange and put forward their statements and national commitments, was summoned on Monday 3 December and will reconvene next week on Wednesday 12.

This will be just after EU Energy Day (11 December), when WindEurope CEO Giles Dickson will speak in a panel chaired by Director General for Research and Innovation, Patrick Child, on the EU’s global competitiveness in renewables and the importance of supporting R&I.