The new EU policy framework that will guide our industry post-2020 will be defined by the end of this year. The European Parliament and Member States have entered the crucial phase of negotiation on the EU’s “Clean Energy Package.” They will vote on their respective positions in November / December then start the final negotiations early next year. It’s a key chance for us to try to secure a supportive legislative framework up to 2030. And it is not only about the advocacy work we do in Brussels. It is about national governments believing in the clean transition and the role of the wind industry in this progression.
Good news on cost reduction is key to helping us win the argument for ambitious policies on renewables. Whilst flawed in many ways, the results of recent onshore auctions in Spain and Germany show prices falling significantly. We look forward to the results of the next auctions in Germany (onshore) and the UK and the Netherlands (both offshore).
But at the same time we need to keep up the pressure on national governments to provide the long-term clarity and revenue stability that come from having a visible pipeline of auctions. The prospect of new Governments this autumn in Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Norway and the Czech Republic mean we’ll need to engage new as well as existing political actors on this.
It’s crucial we gear up our lobbying activities. Contact our Advocacy Team to find out more and see how you can help.
On 26 September we release the WindEurope mid-term market outlook and our 2030 scenarios. The mid-term market outlook will define what we think will be the annual installation volumes, for both onshore and offshore wind, each year from now to 2020. It will also give highlight developments on financing. The 2030 scenarios set out how much wind energy we think Europe will have by 2030, broken down by country – and what wind will be supporting in terms of jobs, growth and investment. In addition to reading our publications online, you can tune in to our mid-term market outlook webinar and discuss the projections with our analysts. Click here to register.
With growth in capacity come new investors. Power purchase agreements (PPAs) – through which corporates are procuring electricity directly from renewable energy suppliers – are on the rise. They surpassed the 2 GW mark in Europe in 2016. More and more companies are getting on board and looking to buy clean power. We’re running an event in Brussels on 10 – 11 October (RE-Source 2017) to profile this and to connect renewable energy buyers and sellers. We’re doing it with the solar industry and a number of buyers of clean energy, including the chemicals sector. Do come if you can.
Then we have our annual event in Amsterdam in November, where there’ll be extensive business opportunities. The onshore and offshore wind industry will both be there – from 28 to 30 November. There’ll be plenty of networking opportunities at the exhibition floor. But also at our members reception in the Rijksmuseum and the gala event in the Maritime Museum. You can also make new contacts at the conference with 35+ sessions developed by the sector for the sector. We’ve just finished reviewing the 380 abstracts submitted and will publish the conference programme mid-September. You can still become an exhibitor by booking your stand here.
We look forward to seeing you, certainly in Amsterdam and we hope at our PPAs event – and to working with you over the coming months.
– Giles Dickson
