Keeping It Safe
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THE EUROPEAN WIND INDUSTRY MAGAZINE April 2013 Volume 32/No 2 INTERVIEW FATIHFATIH BIROL BIR Keeping it safe IEA Chief Economist Also inside: Governments and uncertainty Careers - top ten profi les Meet EWEA’s new President and CEO A WORTHWHILE UP TO 31% HIGHER YIELD INVESTMENT: WITH GENERATION DELTA. More than 27 years of experience. 2,100 multi-MW turbines installed – mature technical solutions form a sound basis for the fourth generation of the Nordex multi-MW platform. With larger rotors and an increased rated output in each wind class, the N117/3000 and N100/3300 obtain an up to 31% higher yield rom IEC-2 and IEC-1 sites. Generation Delta. Proven technology at a new stage of evolution. Further information under: www.nordex-online.com/delta-generation | contents | THE EUROPEAN WIND INDUSTRY MAGAZINE April 2013 Volume 32/No2 letter from the editor 5 Changing times brussels briefi ng 7 interview 8 Fatih Birol, Chief Economist, International Energy Agency interview 11 Andrew Garrad, EWEA’s new president Q&A 15 Maritime spatial planning takes shape Global Wind Day 16 mini-focus 19 Wind energy sector faces uncertainty crisis fi nance interviews 22 Cord Landsmann, CFO, E.ON Climate & Renewables Wolfgang Bischoff, CEO, Siemens Financial Services feature 24 Careers in wind: ten “most wanted” profi les wind worker 26 Liesbet Mijlemans, Head of wind consultancy, 3E Alejandro Saladanja, Commissioning manager for offshore, Alstom renewable world 29 Tackling poverty through renewable energy in East Africa focus 30 Keeping it safe opinion - Junior Isles 41 Making ends meet keeping up with EWEA’s blog 42 opinion - Adam Barber 45 Health and safety protects the bottom line Country focus 46 A closer look at… Ireland technology corner 48 Offshore wind engineers to the rescue? Wind Directions is published four times a year. The contents do not necessarily refl ect the views and policy of EWEA. review EWEA 2013 52 Aiming east in Austria Publisher: Thomas Becker Editor: Sarah Azau EWEA news 55 Writers: Sarah Azau, Zoë Casey, Chris Rose, Philippa Jones, Junior Isles, new members 56 Adam Barber Design & production: www.inextremis.be the last word 58 Cover photo: Stiftung Offshore Windenergie Thomas Becker, CEO, European Wind Energy Association Additional design and photographic input: Clara Ros, Jesús Quesada WIND DIRECTIONS | April 2013 3 peace of mind For peace of mind when the health of your wind turbine assets is vital, NRG Systems offers a predictive health monitoring system unlike anything else on the market. TurbinePhD.nrgsystems.com Complete Systems | Sensors | Remote Sensors | Tilt-Up Towers | Data Loggers | Turbine Control © 2012 NRG Systems, Inc. | NRG Systems, Inc. | Hinesburg, Vermont 05461 USA | 802.482.2255 | letter from the editor | By Sarah Azau Editor Changing times Photo: EWEA/Bickley hange and adaptability are crucial in busi- picture and a short explanatory text. In addition Cness. The wind energy sector has evolved at to the usual vast array of activities and events a more rapid pace than most other industries in organised worldwide around the offi cial 15 June the past twenty years, with the technology getting date, this year Global Wind Day is also going bigger, becoming more effi cient and even going more viral than ever before with various online offshore. actions. Find out more from Chris Rose on p. 16. One constant, however, is the importance of One of the Global Wind Day actions calls for health and safety, particularly in a business like world and national leaders to make the switch to wind energy where workers are called on to climb renewables while phasing out fossil fuel subsi- turbines, take boats out to sea and understand dies. One of the highest profi le critics of fossil electrics. But what are the health and safety risks fuel subsidies today is Chief Economist of the for on and offshore wind? Are these growing as International Energy Agency Fatih Birol. In an the industry expands? And, what can we do to exclusive interview with me for Wind Directions, reduce risk? Zoë Casey navigates some of the is- Birol accuses governments which apply subsidies sues in this issue’s Focus, starting on p. 30. of “stealing money from the pockets of the poor”. EWEA is currently experiencing its own Read the interview in full on p. 8. changes, with a new Chief Executive Offi cer as Another Global Wind Day action asks for your of April, as announced in the previous issue of support for those who live in poverty in East Africa, Wind Directions, and a new President as of March. with no access to electricity. By donating to EWEA’s New CEO Thomas Becker – former negotiator on chosen charity Renewable World, you help improve climate issues for the Danish government – writes the livelihood of farmers in a Tanzanian village - and that wind energy associations across Europe all thanks to a wind turbine. Read more on p. 29. need to work together much more closely, speak- Birol also spoke memorably on the subject of ing with one voice, in the Last Word on p. 58. fossil fuel subsidies at EWEA’s Annual Event in Incoming President Andrew Garrad – who founded February, which was held in Vienna. He was one global renewable energy consultancy GL Garrad of many top speakers, including energy ministers, Hassan – is interviewed on a range of topics from CEOs and many others at the event, which was technology to government energy policy on p. 12. attended by 8,500 people. Read more on p. 52. On the other hand, change can sometimes be At EWEA 2013 I took the opportunity to talk to devastating. Notably for investments – imagine some of these high level industry fi gures. Two of carefully investing in a house only to learn that your them – Cord Landsmann from E.ON and Wolfgang mortgage repayments would double. Something Bischoff from Siemens Financial Services – were similar is happening around Europe to the wind interviewed around the thorny topic of fi nancing. energy sector as governments change support Have a look at p. 22. mechanisms, sometimes retroactively. I explore the And fi nally, back to the subject of changes… impact this is having on our industry on p. 19. Wind Directions is changing too! From now on we On a more positive note, the Global Wind Day will be producing four issues a year, and shortly photo competition – launched in February – is al- they will have a fresh new look, noticeably in the ready attracting lots of attention. This year it’s all electronic version of the magazine. The next issue about sharing our wind energy stories through a will be with you in September. ■ WIND DIRECTIONS | April 2013 5 | brussels briefi ng | Offshore wind sector could get more Barriers to internal structural funds under new strategy energy market still he LeaderSHIP 2020 strategy – which lending activities explored, primarily remain Taims to increase the competitiveness for projects related to green shipping, of European maritime technology - was offshore wind energy, and retrofi tting he lack of power market liberalisation presented by the European Commission • the feasibility of a private-public part- Tin many Member States is delay- on 20 February. nership on marine renewables could be ing the benefi ts promised by the EU Recommendations of particular explored by the relevant stakeholders Liberalisation Packages, EWEA warned relevance to the offshore wind industry with the European Commission recently. are that: • structural funds for the diversifi cation “The completion of the internal • European Investment Bank funding of maritime technology industry should energy market – initially foreseen by the opportunities should be promoted, be allocated into new market sectors European Commission for 2014 - will and possibilities for broadening its such as offshore wind. bring benefi ts for European citizens such as affordable power prices, lower carbon emissions and improved security of supply, yet structural market distor- Binding renewables target needed tions such as regulated prices and subsides for fossil fuels and nuclear n 27 March, the European This would allow Europe to replace fossil energy in many countries remain the OCommission opened the debate on fuel imports with a thriving European main obstacle to creating this market”, EU energy and climate policy after 2020 wind energy industry generating large EWEA’s Regulatory Affairs Advisor Paul - offering the energy industry the pros- amounts of zero-emissions renewable Wilczek said. pect of the long-term clarity and stability power and technology exports. EWEA was responding to a European needed for large, long-term investments. “Setting a binding 2030 renewable Commission public consultation on gen- The European Commission’s Green energy target would help the achievement eration adequacy, capacity mechanisms Paper on a “2030 framework for climate of the 2020 targets, by providing the wind and the internal market in electricity. and energy policies” presented 2030 sector with the clarity needed to make the EWEA urges the Commission to en- targets as a key policy option. necessary long-term investments, thereby sure Member States fully implement the “It is important to put long-term driving down the cost of capital,” Wilkes Liberalisation Packages and tackle the climate and renewable energy policies in said. existing market distortions. place, and the European Commission and The Green Paper was accompanied EWEA also highlighted the impor- Council already agree that an increase in by a report on national renewable tance of swiftly implementing the Target renewable energy is a ‘no-regrets’ option,” energy progress. For the fi rst time the Model (a model agreed by European said Justin Wilkes, EWEA’s Policy Director. Commission expressed concern on energy regulators, grid operators and “Energy policy debate over the coming whether the 2020 renewable targets will the European Commission for the inte- months will be crucial to Europe’s future.