The European Technology & Innovation Platform on Wind Energy (ETIPWind) has launched a new 3-year cycle of activities reaffirming Europe’s need to invest in wind R&I to reach its climate targets.
On 13 October, more than 120 wind energy experts came together in Brussels and online to kick-off ETIPWind’s new cycle of activities.
ETIPWind experts looked at how targeted R&I in wind energy would contribute to delivering REPowerEU. The European Commission wants 510 GW of wind by 2030, up from 190 GW today. Increased investments in wind energy R&I will not just be key to reaching those targets, but also in supporting the European wind supply chain, facilitating a more circular use of materials and ensuring that the EU develops the right technologies to better integrate renewables into the grid.
Rosalinde Van der Vlies (Director Clean Planet, DG RTD – European Commission) opened the event, stressing that the EU is strongly committed to supporting the wind industry in scaling up, developing new solutions and accelerating the deployment of existing technologies.
- The event covered three main challenges facing the wind industry today:
- Inadequate manufacturing capacity and pressures on the competitiveness of the supply-chain;
- Recycling of rotor blades and the happy coexistence of wind with nature and society; and
- Energy system integration of wind energy.
ETIPWind’s Chair, Adrian Timbus (Hitachi Energy) highlighted the need to reinforce the grid through optimised solutions, helping to integrate as much wind energy as possible. He then reminded listeners of the bottlenecks in the supply chain that need to be addressed as soon as possible, as well as the EU policies that will facilitate the development of wind energy projects. He also stressed the need for greater efforts on acceptability and sustainability. One aspect of this will be designing new solutions that take account of citizens and nature from the beginning, so projects can be better accepted.
In closing the event, the Chair of ETIPWind quoted Lena Kitzing, the Head of Section for Society, Markets & Policy at the Technical University of Denmark: “Wind is the best technology to decarbonise the society, so let’s use it”.