Platform

Recently the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) and Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs launched the European Technology Platform for Wind Energy (TPWind). This platform aims to identify the priorities for wind energy research up to 2030. Furthermore, the platform will direct public and private funding towards targeted research areas.

“I believe that the creation of the Wind Energy Technology Platform will be of great use for this sector in Europe where there is still a clear potential for improvement,” said Piebalgs at the launch. Representatives from the wind industry emphasised the need to reduce the costs of energy, to set up a common agenda for R&D priorities in Europe in order to ‘speak with one voice’, and to improve the reliability by developing prototypes for offshore turbines.

Wind power is essential to meet the targets set in the 2001 RES-E Directive, to increase the amount of renewable electricity from 13% in 1997 to 21% in 2010. By the end of 2005 the wind sector had installed more than 40,000 MW in Europe, which generates 2.6% of EU electricity. In addition, this impressive performance has encouraged the European wind sector to set the ambitious target of 75,000 MW by 2010.

The TPWind is number seven in the row of Technology Platforms (TPs) for energy supported by the European Commission under the Sixth Framework Programme for R&D (FP6). TPs have already been established for photovoltaic energy, smart grids, hydrogen and fuel cells, biofuels, clean coal and solar thermal. Research agendas and the deployment strategies are of key importance for all TPs.

TPWind represents stakeholders from industry, end users, developers, environmental NGOs, government, civil society, R&D institutions, finance organisations, and the wider power sector, at Member State and EU levels. It will establish links with other technology platforms, such as the Technology Platform for Smart Grids as well as with technology platforms for wind energy emerging at a national level, like in Spain and the Netherlands.

A Steering Committee will be the primary decision making body, consisting of high-level persons from throughout the sector. This Committee will comprise the chairpersons of the working groups that can be consulted for advice on special subjects. The Advisory Council of TPWind, a temporary body that elects the Steering Committee, has prepared a vision document which sets out the current situation and the challenges for wind industry, and thus for TPWind: “Wind Energy: A Vision for Europe in 2030”.