WindEurope

Brussels to request 2024-26 interim targets for wind energy

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The European Commission is preparing to set interim targets between 2024 and 2026 to highlighting the extra effort needed in the EU if wind-energy goals set for 2030 are to be achieved.

Brussels is currently preparing its preliminary version of a Wind Power Package, expected to be presented today.

Though still just a draft, the package, it has been indicated, will highlight that growth in Europe’s wind-energy sector is well behind schedule, as has been pointed out on a number of occasions by Brussels-based wind energy industry association WindEurope.

According to the draft of the wind power package, obtained by energypress, the European Commission will call on EU member states to commit, by the end of 2023, to specific wind-energy targets that offer clarity on what lies in store for the sector’s development over the next few years.

These commitments would be incorporated into the European Commission’s ambitious target of 111 GW in offshore wind farms across the EU by 2030, the draft plan notes.

The package also expects wind-energy additions to National Energy and Climate Plans.

The European Commission plans to deliver recommendations concerning licensing matters and long-term renewable energy planning in December, after having assessed National Energy and Climate Plans submitted by member states.

In doing so, Brussels will seek to encourage member states to reinforce and specify national plans, especially on matters concerning wind energy.

In Greece, ELETAEN, the Greek Wind Energy Association, had responded to the country’s revised NECP, published in the summer, by noting that onshore wind farm goals were greatly reduced.

 

Vestas unveils circularity solution to end landfill for turbine blades

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Vestas is presenting a new solution that renders epoxy-based turbine blades as circular, without the need for changing the design or composition of blade material. Combining newly discovered chemical technology developed within the CETEC initiative, and partnerships with Olin and Stena Recycling, the solution can be applied to blades currently in operation. This will eliminate the need for blade redesign, or landfill disposal of epoxy-based blades when they are decommissioned.

‘Until now, the wind industry has believed that turbine blade material calls for a new approach to design and manufacture to be either recyclable, or beyond this, circular, at end of life. Going forward, we can now view old epoxy-based blades as a source of raw material. Once this new technology is implemented at scale, legacy blade material currently sitting in landfill, as well as blade material in active windfarms, can be disassembled, and re-used. This signals a new era for the wind industry, and accelerates our journey towards achieving circularity,’ says Lisa Ekstrand, Vice President and Head of Sustainability at Vestas.

Turbine blades have previously been challenging to recycle due to the chemical properties of epoxy resin, a resilient substance that was believed to be impossible to break down into re-usable components. This has led to many technology leaders attempting to replace or modify epoxy resin with alternatives that can be more easily treated. Vestas’ solution is enabled by a novel chemical process that can chemically break down epoxy resin into virgin-grade materials. The chemical process was developed in collaboration with Aarhus University, Danish Technological Institute, and Olin the partners of the CETEC project, a coalition of industry and academia established to investigate circular technology for turbine blades.

‘The newly discovered chemical process can theoretically turn epoxy-based turbines blades, whether in operation or sitting in landfill, into a source of raw material to potentially build new turbine blades. As the chemical process relies on widely available chemicals, it is highly compatible for industrialisation, and can therefore be scaled up quickly. This innovation would not have been possible without the ground-breaking CETEC collaboration between industry and academia enabling our progress until this point,’ says Mie Elholm Birkbak, Specialist, Advanced Structures at Vestas.

Through a newly established value chain, supported by Nordic recycling leader Stena Recycling and global epoxy manufacturer Olin, Vestas will now focus on scaling up the novel chemical disassembly process into a commercial solution. Once mature, the solution will signal the beginning of a circular economy for all existing, and future epoxy-based turbine blades.

‘“As the leading customer solution provider of innovative epoxy systems, Olin is proud to support the anticipated massive expansion in wind energy worldwide. By utilising unique technologies, together with our partners, we are ready to recover molecules and convert them into new epoxies that can be re-used in wind turbine blades. We are excited to bring our expertise and unique asset footprint to this partnership, and realize breakthrough sustainable material solutions for existing wind blades and those of the future”, says Verghese Thomas, Vice President, Epoxy Systems and Growth Platforms at Olin.

‘In the coming years, thousands of turbines will be decommissioned or repowered, representing a major sustainability challenge but also a valuable source of composite materials. As one of Europe’s leading recycling groups with a wide footprint in Europe, we have a central role in the transition to a circular economy. We see this solution as a huge opportunity to take part in making a sustainable solution even more sustainable and circular and are ready to apply our chemical recycling expertise and knowledge to this process’ says Henrik Grand Petersen, MD Stena Recycling Denmark.

For several decades, producing wind turbine blades manufactured with epoxy-based resin has been standard practice in the wind industry. In the most mature markets for wind energy, the first turbines are reaching the end of their operational life and this will increase over the coming years. WindEurope expects around 25,000 tonnes of blades to reach the end of their operational life annually by 2025.

Once mature, the new solution will provide Vestas with the opportunity to produce new turbine blades made from re-used blade material. In the future, the new solution also signals the possibility to make all epoxy-based composite material a source of raw material for a broader circular economy, potentially encompassing industries beyond wind energy.

Vestas is the energy industry’s global partner on sustainable energy solutions. The company designs, manufactures, installs, and services onshore and offshore wind turbines across the globe, and with more than 154 GW of wind turbines in 87 countries, it is a global leader in the wind power sector.

 

Greek onshore wind energy generation tops European output

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Onshore wind energy generation in Greece yesterday was the biggest recorded in Europe, capturing a 55 percent share of the country’s energy mix, according to data provided by the WindEurope association on wind energy yields across the continent.

Greece was followed by Spain, where onshore wind energy production yesterday captured 49 percent of the country’s energy mix, and Portugal, whose wind-energy share was 35 percent.

The increased wind energy generation in Greece helped lower the country’s wholesale electricity price, at 58.44 euros per MWh today. The price level is below 10 euros per MWh for half the day, ELETAEN, the Greek Wind Energy Association, noted in an announcement.

This lower wholesale electricity price directly benefits consumers and the Greek economy, the association added.

RES sector opposes Brussels proposal for price cap on power production

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European renewable energy associations SolarPower Europe and WindEurope have expressed their opposition to any moves by the European Commission for a lower maximum electricity price on renewables than on fossil fuel energy, noting this would endanger the energy transition.

EU member state energy ministers are meeting today in search of emergency measures to protect bill payers.

Speaking earlier this week, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen announced the EU executive’s desire to cap wholesale electricity prices as separate measures for low-carbon and fossil fuel generators.

Von der Leyen set out revenue limits for renewables and nuclear power companies as the second of five energy crisis measures put forward by the commission, with a similar move for fossil fuel companies labeled the third measure.

This implies that the proposed income ceilings could be set at different levels for low-carbon and conventional power generators. That prospect was opposed by SolarPower Europe, which called for any limit on energy company revenue to be applied “after market clearing.”

 

Offshore wind farm framework within first half, auction in ‘22

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A legal framework for offshore wind farms will be ready within the next few months, no later than the end of the year’s first half, enabling investments in this sector to begin in Greece, the energy ministry has assured.

The energy ministry’s leadership is expected to reiterate this stance, without offering further scheduling details, at an event to be staged today by ELETAEN, the Greek Wind Energy Association. Energy minister Kostas Skrekas and the ministry’s secretary-general Alexandra Sdoukou will be participating.

Norway, a country with extensive offshore wind farm knowhow, will be strongly represented at the ELETAEN event. The Norwegian Ambassador to Greece, Frode Overland Andersen, and Daniel Willoch, a representative of NORWEA, the Norwegian Wind Energy Association, will take part.

So, too, will Giles Dickson, CEO at Brussels-based WindEurope, promoting the use of wind power in Europe.

If all goes as planned with efforts being made by the energy ministry, as well as ELETAEN, a first auction for offshore wind farms in Greece could be staged within the first half of 2022.

Considerable progress has been made in recent months, but pending issues on important details concerning spatial and licensing matters, connectivity with power grid operator IPTO’s network, as well as a remuneration formula for investors, all still need to be settled. The overall effort is complex and involves a number of ministries.

Investor interest in offshore wind farms is high as studies project electricity costs concerning floating units in Greece will experience a 40 percent decline by 2050. This cost, according to an older European Commission study, was estimated to drop from 76 euros per MWh in 2030 to 46 euros per MWh in 2050.

The same study estimated Greece’s offshore wind farm capacity would reach 263 GW, a prospect promising investors sustainability for the development of such projects.

Norway’s Equinor has already expressed the strongest interest for offshore wind energy development in Greece. Denmark’s Copenhagen Offshore Partners, also a major global player, has also shown some signs of interest.

As for Greek companies, TERNA Energy, the Copelouzos Group, and RF Energy have, in the past, submitted applications for offshore wind energy parks to RAE, the Regulatory Authority for Energy.

 

Greece should aim for more ambitious wind energy target, authority notes

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Greece should aim for a more ambitious wind energy objective in its National Energy and Climate Plan for 2030, WindEurope’s Head of Advocacy & Messaging Joël Meggelaars has remarked following favorable results achieved at Greece’s second RES auction for the year, staged a week ago.

Onshore wind secured almost 160 MW of capacity in Greece’s recent second renewables auction for the year. The prices were competitive, coming in within a range of €55–65/MWh.

This price level is lower than in Greece’s first onshore wind auction in July, where onshore wind prices ranged between €68-72/MWh.

“These are impressive results. The average price level is even lower than in the last French and German onshore auctions. The fact that prices have come down is a signal of confidence from investors in the outlook for wind energy in Greece. The high level of competition and the participation of big investors with large wind portfolios in Greece and the wider region has helped to create downward pressure on prices,” Meggelaars noted.

Nine wind projects, all holding environmental and grid connection licenses and located in Greece’s north and central regions, secured capacities at last week’s session.

“These results are a clear sign that wind can deliver affordable electricity to Greek consumers and businesses,” the WindEurope official noted. “Ambition and deployment outlook will help Greece to attract new investments, enjoy further cost reductions and create local economic benefits.”

However, permit costs for wind farms in Greece remain an issue and need to be simplified, Meggelaars stressed.

“The winners in this auction already anticipated these costs as they began developing their projects almost a decade ago. The Greek government should look at simplifying permit procedures and also give more transparency on the length of time needed for environmental assessment, spatial planning and grid connection procedures.”

Regulated electricity prices ‘impeding clean energy package’

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Regulating retail prices impedes the successful implementation of the Clean Energy for All Europeans Package, a unique opportunity that would empower European energy consumers, Eurelectric, Europex, WindEurope and EFET (European Federation of Energy Traders) have warned in a joint statement.

The package promises to empower consumers through a combination of measures, such as efficient price signals, certified comparison tools and easy switching, the four associations noted. Should retail prices continue to be regulated in some member states, the benefits brought by the Clean Energy Package would be severely weakened, they stressed.

Retail price regulation is also a serious obstacle to competition among electricity supply companies, the groups noted, as this reduces the incentive of companies to become more efficient and discourages the emergence of new market participants, they explained.

In addition to their negative impact on retail markets, regulated prices also distort the functioning of the wholesale markets, limiting and partly undermining the price formation process, ultimately leading to higher electricity costs for all consumers, the associations noted.

Regulated end-user prices aim to protect household – even non-household – consumers from energy costs increases but the pricing methodology often lacks transparency and can prove counterproductive, the associations stressed.

Also, the phasing-out of regulated prices does not imply the end of fixed-price contracts, the associations specified, adding that electricity suppliers will continue to offer such contracts.