EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs, as conference chair, welcomed delegates and other high-level speakers in the Opening Session with warm praise for the wind energy industry’s achievements. “Of all the renewable energy technologies, wind energy has delivered the most promising result for a number of years now,” he said.
His comments were echoed by Janez Potočnik, the EU Commissioner for Science and Research, who closed the conference on a positive note, applauding the “remarkable European success story” of wind energy and encouraging the wind energy sector to step up to meet the technological and administrative challenges ahead.
Senior decision-makers look to future
National ministers from across the EU outlined their vision for the EU legislation and how this will deliver a new generation of energy supply in the Opening Session. “We share the vision of a Europe with a thriving and sustainable economy and with world leadership in a diverse portfolio of clean, efficient and low carbon technologies that will drive prosperity, growth and jobs,” said Andrej Vizjak, Slovenia’s Minister of Economy.
Paul Magnette, Energy and Climate Minister from the host country Belgium, said that the renewables legislative package “really amounts to something like a third European industrial revolution,” comparing it to the coal and nuclear booms in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Manuel Pinho, Portugal’s Economy and Innovation Minister encouraged action on an international level, warning that “energy and the environment have created the biggest challenge of our time. This requires a global response; a business as usual policy is unsustainable.”
Global growth of the wind industry likely to continue for some time
Following a keynote address by the recently appointed European Coordinator for offshore wind connections, Georg Adamowitsch, senior figures from the leading wind energy companies debated some of the hottest topics in wind energy. Moderated by Stefan Ghisler, of Danish TV station TV2, the discussion focussed on global markets, with a general consensus that the booming wind and renewable industries in both the USA and China would continue to grow.
Enforcement and trading mechanisms key issues for successful implementation of EU RES Directive
Representatives from the European Commission, Eurelectric and national energy policy departments in Germany, the UK and Poland considered administrative barriers, enforcement of binding targets and trading mechanisms during this panel session. In spite of some doubts voiced regarding the effectiveness of infringement procedures designed to ensure compliance with the binding targets, most panellists considered the legal obligation, combined with existing enforcement powers, to be sufficient.
The ‘guarantees of origin’ trading mechanism between member states proved to be a controversial topic, with Polish representative Zbigniew Kamienski branding it “a completely bad solution” for Poland and MEP Claude Turmes questioning the rationale behind the idea. Martin Schöpe of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, also expressed serious reservations. The Commission representative, Hans Van Steen countered this, saying that the trading system would ensure that increased deployment is achieved at the lowest possible cost.
Wind energy crucial to EU regions looking to go beyond 20%
The closing session of EWEC 2008 began with a keynote speech from Janez Potočnik, EU Commisioner for Science and Research who stressed the role of wind energy in creating knowledge, wealth and employment in the EU and achieving sustainable development. In this regard, citing the TPWind Strategic Research Agenda, Commisioner Potočnik underlined that wind energy needs more than a "business-as-usual" approach. An alternative is provided by the Strategic Energy Technology Plan, and the European Wind Initiative.
He was followed by representatives from key countries and regions with large amounts of installed wind power and ambitious targets for the future: Schleswig-Holstein (Germany), Denmark and Castilla y Leon (Spain). Frans van Hulle of EWEA then provided a comprehensive summary of the conference programme.
Jos Beurskens of ECN awarded prestigious Poul la Cour prize
In the 100th anniversary year of the Danish wind energy pioneer’s death, the winner of the prestigious Poul Le Cour Prize was Jos Beurskens, former head of the renewable energy research programme at the Dutch ECN institute. Involved in wind energy since 1972, Beurskens was responsible for setting up the Netherlands national wind development programme in the 1980s. He has been a member of countless wind-related organisations since then and a long-standing member of the EWEA board of directors.
Music and dance set the stage for EWEC 2008
Providing a melodic introduction to EWEC 2008, the BSO Wind Players performed selected compositions for 8 wind instruments ahead of the Opening Session. The BSO Wind Players started out of the wind section of the Bruocsella Symphony Orchestra, an international orchestra based in Brussels. Serenades by Mozart and a Beethoven Octet were followed by a piece composed especially for EWEC 2008 by one of the group’s musicians. EWEC is about the vision of how moving air through turbines can empower society. These marvellous pieces of music showed us how moving air through instruments can empower the spirit.
Hot on the heels of this wind octet, a wind dancer took to the stage for a magical performance in a whirlwind of silk and light. In a flowing silk costume, the dancer created an idyllic atmosphere with a series of fluid movements and a stunning light and colour show. Speakers and delegates alike were entranced by the grace and beauty of the dance, which set the scene for the conference sessions to come.
Global wind capacity hits 100 GW during EWEC 2008
A giant cake was ceremonially cut by GWEC President Arthouros Zervos to celebrate the installation of 100 GW of wind capacity around the world. Achieving this global milestone also reflected the fact that, although Europe remains the powerhouse of wind turbine manufacture and has a cluster of strong country markets, the industry is now a worldwide phenomenon.
Download the EWEC Bulletin (2.5 MB)
EWEC2008 Venue Floor Plan (242 KB)
EWEC2008 Exhibition Floor Plan (1.5 MB)
EWEC 2008 media report (1.0 MB)
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