When we first reported on the pioneering TPWind platform in PES, it was little more than an EC pipedream. Since then, it’s grown into one of the most important funding programmes in Europe, and enjoys considerable influence throughout the sector. We take a look at the latest developments, courtesy of Henning Kruse and his talented team.
In 2013 the wind energy sector reached 117 GW of installed capacity in Europe, and would, in a normal wind year, produce 257 TWh of electricity, enough to cover 8% of the EU’s electricity consumption.
Since 2006, the Wind Energy Technology Platform (TPWind), has been coordinating hundreds of wind energy professionals and researchers together with the European Commission to determine common R&D priorities for wind energy in order to efficiently target industry and public research funds.
To ensure that wind energy R&D funds are used efficiently, tackling the key technology issues, it is crucial that research resources across Europe are mobilised. This huge challenge will require coordinated investment between the EU, Member States and industry. The launch in December 2013 of Horizon 20201, the new R&D research framework programme of the European Commission allocates €5.6 billion to nonnuclear energy R&D, with a specific commitment of €158 million and €169 million for renewables in 2014 and 2015 respectively.
Through the European Wind Initiative (EWI), set up under the Strategic Energy Technology Plan framework, TPWind together with the European Commission, Member States and the European Energy Research Alliance ensures funding for wind energy R&D is in line with the Strategic Research Agenda (SRA). For the 2010-2020 period, the EWI has a budget of €6 billion (bn), more than half of which will be provided by the wind energy industry. This budget should be used to:
Maintain Europe’s technology leadership in onshore and offshore wind power;
Make onshore wind the most competitive energy source by 2020, with offshore following by 2030;
Achieve a 20% share of wind energy in EU total electricity consumption by 2020;
Create 250,000 new skilled jobs in the EU by 2020.
TPWind also collaborates with the European Electricity Grid Initiative (EEGI) to ensure a transformation and optimisation of the whole power system to integrate a high share of wind power and other renewables.
