tulsi tanti kumi naidoo t - The European Wind Energy Association
Transcription
tulsi tanti kumi naidoo t - The European Wind Energy Association
THE EUROPEAN WIND INDUSTRY MAGAZINE February 2010 Volume 29/No 1 TULSI TANTI T Managing Director of Suzlon Energy KUMI NAIDOO International Executive Director of Greenpeace INSIDE: Wind Directions survey – win an iPod! H>DÂ;;58=3<>>6B>;DC8>=B>=<>A4C70= F8=3CDA18=4BF>A;3F834 c 7P [[# ;CXA44]TaVhP]S8]bT]bhbfX]ST]TaVhb^[dcX^]bPaT]^f Qa^dVWcc^h^dQh<^^V F70C<>E4BH>DAF>A;3 fff\^^VR^\fX]S ! <^^V0[[aXVWcbaTbTaeTS 1^^ $ W#! 5a^\b_TRXËRR^\_^]T]cbcWPc\PgX\XiTcdaQX]T_TaU^a\P]RT c^R^\_[TcTT[TRcaXRP]SWhSaPd[XR_XcRWR^]ca^[b^[dcX^]b cPX[^aTSc^h^dad]X`dT]TTSb<^^VWPbcWTV[^QP[aTb^daRTb c^PSSaTbbh^dac^dVWTbcfX]ST]TaVhRWP[[T]VTb 3^f][^PS^daX]U^a\PcXeTPacXR[T^]_XcRWR^]ca^[bhbcT\b PcWcc_)X]U^\^^VR^\_XcRWR^]ca^[ | contents | THE EUROPEAN WIND INDUSTRY MAGAZINE February 2010 Volume 29/No 1 Wind Directions is published five times a year. The contents do not necessarily reflect the views and policy of EWEA. Publisher: Christian Kjaer Editor: Sarah Azau Writers: Sarah Azau, Chris Rose, Crispin Aubrey, Elke Zander, Zoë Casey, Anne Liekenbrock Design & production: www.inextremis.be Cover photo: Reporters viewpoint Defuse the climate bomb 5 wind statistics European offshore wind power market grew 54% in 2009 6 letters, wind bites & wind dates 9 wind news 10 brussels briefing The latest EU news 12 guest columnist Self-propelling dynamics in Copenhagen 14 wind energy basics Trends in wind turbine technology 16 interview Kim Carnahan, International Emissions Trading Association 18 feature Plain sailing? 21 country focus Romania 27 focus The climate battle A disappointing outcome in Copenhagen Copenhagen: powerful presence for global wind industry Post-COP15 wind industry will keep its momentum 28 interview Tulsi Tanti, Suzlon Energy 37 ewea news 41 interview Kumi Naidoo, Greenpeace 42 mini focus Arthouros Zervos – Standing up for the future 44 interview Stephan Singer, WWF International 50 the last word Aaron Thom, student and co-president of Sustainability@MIT 55 Cert no. SGS-COC-006375 WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 3 2.15 P.M. PORTUGAL, “CHÃO FALCÃO” WIND FARM. 36 °C IN THE SHADE. SURROUNDED BY THOUSANDS OF OLIVE TREES, 35 N90 TURBINES PROVIDE ANOTHER RICH HARVEST. COOL PRECISION, HOT PERFORMANCE. Near the village of Fátima, 800 metres above sea level, Nordex has erected 35 N90 turbines – robust technology that has proved its worth thousands of times, and produces at full capacity even in extreme heat. Nordex also set up the infrastructure, substation and a service point. Green electricity among green olives – a complete package from experienced hands. www.nordex-online.com Nordex AG, Bornbarch 2, 22848 Norderstedt, Germany Phone +49 40 30030 -1000, Fax +49 40 30030 -1101 | viewpoint | Defuse the climate bomb W e have a legally binding international Treaty on climate change! It has been signed by all the developed countries, including the United States. The Treaty’s ultimate objective is to achieve “stabilisation of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic [manmade] interference with the climate system”. This international Treaty was signed at the 1992 “Earth Summit” in Rio. Five years later, in December 1997, most industrialised countries adopted the Kyoto Protocol, committing to reducing their collective emissions of greenhouse gases by 5.2% by 2008-2012 compared to 1990 levels. The United States would have had to reduce its emissions by 7% compared to 1990, but never sent the Kyoto Protocol to Congress for ratification. Twelve years later, the Danish government managed to attract an impressive gathering of Heads of State to the COP15 in December 2009. But it misjudged China’s position on international monitoring and verification and put too much faith in a US President whose domestic agenda was dominated by unsolved healthcare reform. The Copenhagen Accord that the summit “took note of” boils down to a non-binding political agreement brokered between the world’s two largest emitters of greenhouse gases. China and the United States made a decision on behalf of the entire planet, deciding that it was not in their interest to agree internationally on greenhouse gas reductions. If Europe wants to lead by example – and the world needs that more than ever after Copenhagen – it needs to start making commitments that match the scientists’ recommendations. They say industrialised nations must reduce their emissions by 25-40% domestically before 2020 to keep global warming below 2°C – the figure referred to in the Copenhagen Accord. Current EU climate legislation has too many loopholes in the form of external credits and transfers from an earlier commitment period to reach that lower boundary. A credible commitment from the EU – and any other developed country WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 By Christian Kjaer Chief Executive, EWEA – should be at least 40% reduction by 2020 compared to 1990, with at least three-quarters of that reduction coming from domestic action. Disappointments and expectations We are 18 years on from the Rio commitment to fight dangerous climate change by adopting a legally binding international Treaty. We need to get the US back in the fold. Of course, the developing countries must make commitments, but it is the industrialised countries that created the problem, and which must lead the efforts to solving it. The citizens of Tuvalu, the Maldives and others will not – and should not – lose their countries because of what the founding fathers of another country wrote in 1787. An international Treaty requires a two-thirds majority in the US Senate. Both President Abraham Lincoln and President Jimmy Carter took decisions to terminate Treaties without Senate authorisation. I admit this is probably not the best route to follow. But the US must come up with a workable solution that is dramatically better than the Copenhagen Accord and with targets that signal that the US takes responsibility – with the other industrialised countries – for having created the climate problem in the first place. A reduction in US emissions of 3-4% by 2020 compared to 1990, as suggested by the Waxman / Markey cap-and-trade bill passed by the US House of Representatives in June, is an insult to our planet. The world’s disappointment with the lack of US climate commitment is proportional to its expectations, heightened by President Obama, who proclaimed at his inauguration a year ago: “But our time of standing pat, of protecting national interest and putting off unpleasant decisions – that time has surely passed. (...) there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.” The racing climate clock is sounding more and more like a ticking bomb. Heads of state need to act urgently to defuse it. “The citizens of Tuvalu, the Maldives and others will not – and should not – lose their countries because of what the founding fathers of another country wrote in 1787.” For more on COP15, see the Focus on p. 28. 5 | wind statistics | European offshore wind power market grew 54% in 2009 E WEA has released its latest statistics for offshore wind energy in 2009, which show that 577 MW of new capacity was added and connected to the grid in Europe last year. This is a 54% increase on the 373 MW added in 2008 and takes the total to 2,056 MW. 2009’s 577 MW were installed in eight new offshore wind farms made up of 199 wind turbines. “This is an incredibly good result considering the continued difficulties of obtaining project finance for large projects”, said Christian Kjaer, EWEA Chief Executive. “Independent project developers, in particular, are still struggling. For the offshore wind power industry to continue its development, it is vital that governments and the European Commission provide policy frameworks that stimulate investor interest and allow project developers to move their plans forward.” World view Europe is the world leader in offshore wind with 828 wind turbines and a cumulative capacity of 2,056 MW spread across 38 offshore wind farms in nine European countries. The UK and Denmark are the current leaders, with a 44% and 30% share respectively. In 2009, five countries built new offshore By Sarah Azau wind farms: UK (284 MW), Denmark (230 MW), Sweden (30 MW), Germany (30 MW), Norway (2.3 MW). In early January, another big step forward was taken in the UK, when the government gave its green light for offshore wind farm development areas with a capacity of 32 GW, fifteen times greater than Europe’s existing European offshore wind energy capacity. More information can be found on www.ewea.org by clicking on the ‘Statistics’ tab. Getting the economy back on its feet In 2009, investment in offshore wind farms was approximately €1.5 billion, and EWEA expects this to double in 2010 to approximately €3 billion. “The push given by the decision to inject €255 million under the European Union’s European Economic Recovery Plan into the offshore wind sector showed that decision makers understand that offshore wind is key to Europe’s future energy supplies. The European Investment Bank’s (EIB) increased involvement will also be instrumental for the future success of offshore wind’s contribution to European recovery, job creation and technology leadership,” concluded EWEA’s CEO. Installed offshore wind capacity: cumulative share by country end 2009 in MW 0 200 MW 400 MW 600 MW 800 MW United Kingdom 882.8 MW Denmark 639.15 MW Netherlands 246.8 MW Sweden Germany 163.65 MW 42 MW Belgium 30 MW Ireland 25.2 MW Finland 24 MW Norway 2.3 MW Photo: DONG Energy 6 WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 | wind statistics | Share of offshore wind capacity under construction Share of consented offshore wind capacity per country Norway 2% (350 MW) Finland 2% (400 MW) Italy 1% (162 MW) Italy 2% (83 MW) France 3% (105 MW) Denmark 6% (229.2 MW) United Kingdom 44% (1,591.6 MW) Belgium 16% (600 MW) Denmark 3% (418 MW) Belgium 3% (504 MW) Sweden 4% (730 MW) Estonia 6% (1,000 MW) United Kingdom 13% (2,108 MW) Germany 29% (1,040.3 MW) Netherlands 13% (2,123 MW) Germany 52% (8,589 MW) The future looks bright For 2010, EWEA expects the completion of 10 additional European offshore wind farms, adding 1,000 MW and equivalent to market growth of 75% compared to 2009. Currently, 17 offshore wind farms are under construction in Europe, totaling more than 3,500 MW, with just under half being constructed in UK waters. In addition, a further 52 offshore wind farms have won full consent in European waters, totaling more than 16,000 MW, with just over half of this capacity planned in Germany. In fact, more than 100 GW of projects are at currently at various stages of planning and could provide enough power to meet 10% of European electricity demand. Photo: DONG Energy WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 7 Some locations appear complex at first. No matter how complex your site, we can deploy successful technology, the right expertise and our extensive experience in planning, installing and operating wind farms to help you find the optimum solution for your site – so that the path you choose leads to success. 8 REpower Systems AG · Überseering 10 · 22297 Hamburg · Germany WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 Phone: +49-40 -5 55 50 90-0 · Fax: +49-40 -5 55 50 90-39 99 · E-mail: info@repower.de · Internet: www.repower.de | letters, wind bites & wind dates | Events Photo: DWIA and GWEC The Bloomberg New Energy Finance Summit 17-19 March 2010 London, United Kingdom www.newenergyfinancesummit.com Your letters European Sustainable Energy Week Dear readers, 2010 has begun and our new year’s resolution at Wind Directions is to involve you, the readers, more with the magazine. That resolution has been launched through the readers’ survey available with the paper version of the magazine or online at www.ewea.org. By submitting your answers, you could win an iPod nano, to make 2010 a music-filled year as well! Another new initiative is a new readers’ letters page. We would love to hear what you think of the latest news from the industry or your reaction to something we publish. And if you have suggestions for what could be included in the magazine this is your chance to let us know! Every issue, we will publish a few letters and endeavour to include a reply to each one. All you need to do is write to communication@ewea.org with ‘Wind Directions letters’ in the subject line. We look forward to hearing from you soon! Sarah, Chris and the Wind Directions team. 22-26 March 2010 Brussels, Belgium www.eusew.eu European Wind Energy Conference and Exhibition (EWEC) 2010 20-23 April 2010 Warsaw, Poland www.ewec2010.info E-mail: info@ewec.info Tel: + 32 2 400 10 07 Wind bites “The cabling of the North Sea is the European answer to the failed climate summit in Copenhagen.” Josef Auer, Energy Analyst at Deutsche Bank Research “Renewables are an indigenous energy source providing sustainable power that will never run dry.” Anni Podimata, MEP “Tapping offshore wind is crucial to achieving the 2020 targets.” Anil Srivastava, Areva “I want to see energy security and climate change centre stage in all our partnerships around the world, and it is the right moment to step up our cooperation with the US.” Outgoing EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner “The EU-US Energy Council is a timely initiative in the context of growing global concerns on energy security and the important role that the energy sector has in climate change.” Outgoing EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs “Those that have opposed a deal on climate, which would include elements of the fossil fuel industry, have clearly made making a 2°C target much, much harder, if not impossible. They’ve clearly put the world at risk of far more adverse effects of climate change.” Grids 2010 23-24 November Berlin, Germany www.ewea.org/grids2010 E-mail: events@ewea.org Tel: + 32 2 400 10 07 Professor Bob Watson, Chief Scientist at the UK department for environment and rural affairs “Through innovation and investment in greener and more energy efficient technologies in the next two or three decades, the transition to the low-carbon economy can be the most dynamic period of growth in economic history.” Lord Nicholas Stern writing on COP15 WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 9 | wind news | CHINA GERMANY New HVDC system launched by Siemens and CSPG DONG Energy acquires Borkum Riffgrund 1 & 2 offshore wind turbine projects Siemens and Chinese utility China Southern Power Grid (CSPG) have got together to bring the first stage of a high-voltage direct current system (HVDC) online. The system will bring power to industrial cities in China’s Guangdong province. The key advantage of HVDC cables is that they avoid too much energy loss during transmission. The Siemens/CSPG system will be able to transport 5 GW of power over more than 1,400 km, at a voltage of 800 kV. Photo: Keenpress Publishing/Sisse Brimberg & Cotton Coulson DONG Energy is acquiring PNE Wind AG’s 50% ownership interest in each of the two German offshore wind turbine projects Borkum Riffgrund 1 & 2. It had already bought Vattenfall’s 49% ownership interest in Borkum Riffgrund 1 Holding, which owns 50% of Borkum Riffgrund 1. The acquisitions will make DONG Energy the sole owner of Borkum Riffgrund 1 & 2 offshore wind parks, which are situated in the German part of the North Sea. Meanwhile, DONG Energy has sold a 25.1% stake in the 367 MW Walney offshore wind project, situated in the Irish Sea, to Scottish and Southern Energy. POLAND Vestas to deliver turbines to Poland, Bulgaria and Romania this year Between 2010 and 2012, Vestas will deliver 48 of its V90 2 MW wind turbines to German developers Prokon, for different locations in Poland. Vestas will also deliver 75 turbines to Bulgaria and Romania in 2010 alone. The wind turbine order was placed by Global Wind Power, which has so far implemented four wind power projects in Bulgaria using Vestas machines, making a total capacity of 52 MW in 2008 and 2009. UK FINLAND Finnish government in drive to boost local wind power Finland’s coalition government is planning to hold discussions with the country’s 348 municipalities to identify which local councils are financially and geographically best equipped to invest in wind power generation. The government wants councils to support its plans to achieve 2,000 MW of generation from wind power by 2020, up from just 143 MW at the end of 2008. It will focus on Finland’s major cities, including Helsinki and Turku. 10 Siemens and Mainstream Renewable Power win UK contract for 4 GW of offshore wind The SMart Wind consortium, led by Mainstream Renewable Power and Siemens Project Ventures (SPV), has been awarded a contract to develop 4 GW of wind farms by 2020 as part of The Crown Estate’s Round 3 offshore wind farm programme. The projects will be situated in the “Hornsea” zone, which is 4,735 km2 off the UK’s Yorkshire coast. Once complete, the zone will provide enough electricity to meet 4% of all electricity demand in the UK and power approximately 3 million homes. Major German steel pipe manufacturer to establish facility in UK German steel pipe manufacturer EEW Group today will establish a facility in Scotland to meet the demands of the UK’s offshore renewables industry. The development will represent an investment worth €20 – 30 million investment for the group and provide 150 new jobs. The new UK factory will make the steel tubes used in monopile and jacket foundations for offshore turbines. EEW Group already has a dedicated monopile production facility at Rostock on the Baltic Sea with other production facilities in Erndtebruck, Malaysia, Korea and Brazil. Britain generates 39% more electricity from wind turbines Output from wind turbines increased 38.9% in the third quarter (Q3) of 2009, notes a new report from the British Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC). Overall, the UK generated 5.5 TWh of electricity from renewable energy over the time period – an increase of 25% compared with Q3 2008. In Q3, the total inland consumption of all energy dropped 6.3% from Q3 2008, to 208 million tonnes of oil equivalent. Consumption of coal dropped 20%, oil fell 6% and gas consumption fell by 6.2%, but the share of renewable energy in total UK energy supply rose 2 percentage points, to account for 7% in Q3 2009, the report notes. Siemens to supply further offshore wind turbines to DONG Energy Siemens and DONG Energy have expanded their offshore wind turbine supply agreement from March. Siemens will provide 75 of its 3.6 MW offshore wind turbine for DONG Energy’s 270 MW Lincs offshore wind farm in the North Sea. Siemens will also be the contractor for the grid connection including offshore and onshore substations and onshore cabling for the farm. WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 POWER FOR GOOD RES is one of the world’s leading renewable energy developers. Drawing on decades of experience in the renewable energy and construction industries, RES has the expertise to develop, construct and operate projects of outstanding quality. Our enviable track record in project delivery has given us a reputation for excellence that is second to none. Design & development Engineering WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 Construction O&M IPP 11 | brussels briefing | EU energy policy to focus on environment and economy C ompetitiveness, sustainability and security of supply will be key areas of energy policy over the next four years, the Spanish EU Presidency has stressed. A crucial additional area to consider is the economic crisis and the effect it could have on investments. The Spanish government, which holds the EU Presidency from January to July this year, spelt out the “main topics” for the EU’s Energy Action Plan 2010-2014 in a document published for the Informal Energy Council of 15 January. The document discusses the importance of a well-connected power grid: “Interconnections are critical if the single energy market is to exist in practice and to function properly.” Bottlenecks and missing links should be given priority attention, it says. “The Spanish are right to make the grid a priority”, said Justin Wilkes, EWEA Sierra de Oliva wind farm in Spain Policy Director. “It is crucial that Europe has a power network that links up every part the continent, including offshore wind farms, to smooth the variability of their output and improve the ability to trade electricity within Europe. This would contribute dramatically to Europe’s energy security.” Furthermore, the internal trans-European energy network (TEN-E) needs to be updated and supported at EU level, says the Spanish Presidency, and smart grids should “be established as the infrastructure of the future, contributing as they will to energy efficiency and savings, as well as to the successful incorporation of intermittent sources of electricity such as wind.” The four-year docPhoto: Iberdrola ument also stresses the need to maintain EU leadership in the fight against climate change, and to put it in the context of a vision for 2030 and 2050, with the aim of carbon-free electricity by 2050. Read April’s Wind Directions for an interview with the Spanish Secretary of State for Energy. “NER300 – better than expected”, says renewables industry T he EU’s Climate Change Committee of the Council (CCC) reached an agreement on 3 February on implementing the so called “NER300”. The European Renewable Energy Council (EREC) welcomed the final agreement. “Given the climate and energy challenges Europe is facing, we need to bring innovative renewable energy technologies closer to the market. This will not only secure energy supply and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but bring about a competitive economy with future-orientated jobs. In this regard, NER300 could help Europe to meet both its 2020 targets and its renewed Lisbon Strategy”, said Prof. Arthouros Zervos, President of EREC. 12 The Council’s Climate Change Committee (CCC) adopted a draft decision on how to allocate the 300 million EU emission allowances (EUAs) set aside from the New Entrants’ Reserve (NER300) of the ETS to help finance innovative renewable energy projects and CCS. The Annex of the draft decision that defines project categories eligible for the NER300 funding has been updated to include four more new renewable energy categories. “EREC very much welcomes this last minute step forward as it further acknowledges the wide range of innovative renewable energy projects which need to be commercialised”, said Zervos. He added, however, that “not all renewable energy areas identified by the industry have been considered for demonstration financing, especially regarding installations, grids and upstream projects to help the sector standardise and reduce costs.” Finally, EREC believes, continued financing of innovation in a renewable energy sector that has already proven its ability to reduce emissions is more advisable than banking on the possibility of CCS technically working out. This is especially valid given the typically short construction and planning times of renewable energy projects, which mean that renewable energy projects financed by NER300 will almost certainly have a larger impact on emission reductions by 2020 than CCS. WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 | brussels briefing | Photo: LM Gasfiber WTO discusses abolishing trade tariffs on wind turbines U K Trade and Development Minister Gareth Thomas is the latest to call for tariffs for ‘green goods’ such as wind turbine components to be scrapped. Speaking to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in Geneva in December, he stressed that removing such tariffs would help promote zero-carbon technologies. His comment follows a series of propositions the EU and US have made on eliminating barriers to items such as wind turbines and “smart meters” for more efficient electricity grids in recent years. Negotiations continue as part of the WTO’s Doha Round of negotiations on removing tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade in environmental goods and services. Following the Work Programme set out in July 2008, WTO member countries are currently identifying environmental goods of interest to them, that could therefore be subject to liberalisation. EWEA is liaising with the European Commission’s trade policy officials on identifying and quantifying both tariff and non-tariff barriers impacting on European companies. For further information please contact EWEA’s Policy Director, Justin Wilkes on jw@ewea.org. For more information: www.wto.org EWEA publishes proposal for harmonisation of grid connection rules for wind power T he EWEA Grid Code working group has finalised the first ever grid code format for wind farms and launched it on www.ewea.org. The format is significant because it will help harmonise grid codes for wind farms, and harmonised codes will lower wind energy production costs, contribute to an efficient management of the system, and lower the cost of the electricity for consumers. “Wind power currently provides over 4% of the EU’s electricity. We expect wind power’s share of electricity demand to increase from 4% in 2008 to 16% in 2020. In order to ensure that such future penetration levels are manageable from a technical perspective it is important to develop clear rules across Europe” said Paul Wilczek, EWEA’s Regulatory Affairs Adviser. EWEA proposes two different steps for wind grid code harmonisation. Firstly, WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 to establish a template for the code, and once that is done, adapting the existing parameters to the new template. “In the long term, we would like to see all grid codes for wind farms in Europe following the same template”, explains Wilczek. “EWEA’s generic grid code format is a first, important step”. EWEA believes that the main challenge is not necessarily to fulfil certain technical requirements at the present moment in time – but to ensure all stakeholders share the same understanding of the requirements. European grid operators (TSOs), organised now as ENTSO-E, have also identified grid code harmonisation for wind as urgent, and they are currently developing a “Pilot Code” for wind generation connection conditions. EWEA’s grids conference will be held in November this year in Berlin. Wind industry supports regional initiatives as step towards European single market by 2015 E WEA welcomed the publication of the European Energy Regulators’ (ERGEG) draft strategy on the role of Regional Initiatives towards a single energy market in Europe in January. “Regional Initiatives are a very good step forward, but the final aim remains the creation of a single European market for energy which should be in place by 2015. Regional Initiatives are an effective tool towards the establishment of a single market”, said Paul Wilczek, EWEA’s Regulatory Affairs Advisor. EWEA would like to see a strategy for moving forward from Regional Initiatives to deeper market integration across Europe, and a timeline for the creation of a single European market. Wind’s cost-effective integration into the electricity market hinges on the development of integrated electricity markets across the EU. Rules that ensure an efficient allocation of electricity from renewable sources such as wind power are also critical to the development of wind power. A properly functioning single market will be a building block for a future power system characterised by flexibility and an increased number of market entrants, facilitating the integration of wind and other renewables. In addition to existing intergovernmental initiatives, such as the ‘North Seas Countries’ Offshore Grid Initiative’, there are seven Regional Initiatives, created by European Regulators. Following the adoption of the 3rd Liberalisation Package, the Regional Initiatives have now gained a legally binding character. For more information: www.ewea.org; www.eu-regulators.eu For more information: www.ewea.org/grids2010. 13 | guest columnist | Self-propelling dynamics in Copenhagen T By Rolf de Vos Journalist at Ecofys International By invitation he Climate Summit in Copenhagen was not exactly a success. Many people’s expectations were much higher than the contents of the threepage Copenhagen Accord. No worldwide reduction agreement for 2020, not even for 2050, only an agreed intention to keep the global average temperature rise under 2°C. What is even worse: no further securities are provided for low carbon business. No further upgrade of the Clean Development Mechanism, no new perspectives on further CO2 constraints and higher CO2 prices, no new financial architecture. Copenhagen has not become the low carbon business landmark that we hoped for. How bad is that going to be? “In a political sense, China and the US may have shown large reserves, but their industries have proved they can act very fast.” 14 In the short term, nothing much will change, at least not in Europe. Business will continue as usual in many countries. Manufacturers and project developers will continue to expand their business. At this very moment their biggest concern is the economic and financial crisis, not the climate crisis. In the longer term especially, Copenhagen should have provided clear perspectives, but didn’t. That will have an impact on the entire world. But walking around in Copenhagen, I once again became aware that the world develops in different speeds, at different settings. That is one of the reasons Copenhagen did not end successfully. In the EU, we have learned to live with targets and to try and comply with them as best we can. We have a sophisticated system of policy measures, we have an Emissions Trading System that promises to start working, we have national targets, systems for feed-in tariffs or sometimes certificates, and within half a year all EU member states will have to submit their binding 2020 targets for different forms of renewable energy in a national action plan. The EU approach is praised a lot, not only by the EU itself but also by others. Looking back on the last decade, this approach has also been to the benefit of the EU wind energy industry. The well-developed home markets (especially in Denmark, Germany, Spain and Portugal) have given the respective national manufacturers and developers a head start in the international market. But we have to live with the fact that other countries act very differently from this EU doctrine. They don’t like the international community to impose international agreements about international emissions reduction targets. Although they very much agree on the good intentions, they want to do things in their own national styles. The most stubborn countries are China and the US, not by coincidence regarded by many as closely linked to the Copenhagen failure. The US has been obstructing the international negotiations ever since the moment they refused to ratify Kyoto. And at the very moment the US President travelled to Copenhagen to show some willingness to leave the track beaten by his predecessor, the other major world power China stood up for its rights. But the lack of commitment to international political agreements does not necessarily imply that local industries are under-developed. Until now, China has followed the EU example closely. Supported by the CDM mechanism, national policies and measures have boosted the wind energy capacity. The latest statistics show that the Chinese market was the world’s largest in 2009. The US is still struggling to get a national Climate Bill approved, including policies to boost the wind energy capacity. Nevertheless, the US has the largest installed wind power capacity in the world – although it is mostly built from foreign turbines. Although we Europeans are disappointed, we must realise that the political reality is not identical to the business reality. ‘Copenhagen’ detached the political discussions even further from the business debate. In a political sense, China and the US may have shown large reserves, but their industries have proved they can act very fast. The importance of climate policies to business is definitely large. But the self-propelling dynamics of the wind energy industry have already grown so big that lousy politics will not stop them. WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 15 | wind energy basics | Trends in wind turbine technology In 2010, Wind Directions is going back to basics. Each issue this year will take a closer look at one of the fundamentals of wind energy. By Elke Zander Photo: Henning Reiter M any developments and improvements have taken place since the commercialisation of wind technology in the early 1980s, but the basic architecture of wind turbines has changed little. They nearly all have three blades, upwind rotors and are actively yawed – which means they turn as the wind changes direction. Modern wind technology is available for a range of sites, wind speeds and climates. European wind farms are very reliable – they stand ready to operate 97% of the time (this is known as their “availability”) and are generally well integrated into the environment and accepted by the public. Turbines grew constantly in size up to beginning of the century, but in the past three or four years there has been a levelling out of turbine size for onshore turbines and a focus on increased supply in the 1.5 - 3 MW range. That said, larger turbines are still being developed for the offshore market. The past exponential growth of turbine size (see Wind Directions, December 16 2009) was mainly driven by cost factors. Larger turbines are more cost-effective as they allow an optimised use of the land available, and the maintenance cost per kW installed is lower. All these factors, together with the psychology of “bigger is better” contributed to the growth of unit size through the 1990s. The key factor in maintaining design development into the multi-megawatt range has been the development of an offshore market. For offshore applications, economics requires larger turbines in order to limit the proportionally higher costs of infrastructure (foundations, electricity collection and sub-sea transmission) and lower the number of turbines to access and maintain per kW of installed capacity. Technology trends evolve around various different factors: • Rotor diameters: the industry always works towards larger diameters. The world’s largest wind turbine is currently the Enercon E-126 with a capacity of 6 MW and a diameter of 126 m. • Tip speed: for turbines on land, restrictions on acoustic noise emission often limit how fast the tip can go. These restrictions don’t exist offshore, which gives a clear potential benefit in higher tip speeds. • Pitch versus stall: there are now about four times as many pitch-regulated turbine designs (in which a monitor immediately turns the rotor blades slightly out of the wind if power is too high) on the market as stall-regulated (in which the rotor blades are bolted onto the hub but the blade design counters the lifting force from high winds). • Speed variation: this offers the possibility of increased ‘grid friendliness’, load reduction and some minor energy benefits. • Drive train trends: here the aim is to reduce the mass or keep the right balance between weight and size. • Hub height: when wind turbines were designed exclusively for land use, hub heights increased more or less directly in proportion to diameter. However, hub heights are now growing less than the diameter. This trend has come about because the largest machines are for offshore, where there is reduced wind shear. • Rotor and nacelle mass: manufacturers are continually introducing new concepts and materials in drive train layout, structure and components to reduce mass and cost. • Transport and installation: crane manufacturers now produce designs specially suited to wind farm installation. Often complete hubs are lifted onto nacelles and sometimes hub and blades are lifted individually. Source: Wind Energy – The Facts (2009) For more information: www.windfacts.eu Next issue: new research on wind turbine designs WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 17 | interview | Kim Carnahan, Policy Leader, Flexible Mechanisms, International Emissions Trading Association Kim Carnahan works for the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA) in Washington DC. IETA is a not-for-profit business organisation that works to establish a functional international framework for trading in greenhouse gas emission reductions. She attended COP15 and told Sarah Azau all about it. What do you do for the IETA? My official title is policy leader for flexible mechanisms, but in fact I cover UN policy and all offset policy so it’s a rather wide umbrella. I went to Copenhagen as our leader on UN policy accompanied by Henry Derwent, who’s our CEO and president and who used to be a climate change negotiator for the UK as well as a head of climate change for DEFRA in the UK. As well as attending the whole of COP15, I went to the negotiations all year too. What was the atmosphere like at COP15? At the beginning it almost seemed as if nothing had changed from the previous conferences, which was definitely not a welcome feeling. You wanted to feel a sense of urgency and that didn’t arrive until at least the second week – at which point everyone was looking around at each other and saying “how are we going to finish this? We are nowhere near where we need to be to be able to forward a text to the COP-MOP at the end of this session.” Not to mention anywhere close to being where heads of state would actually adopt an agreement. So the panic set in for the facilitators and the chairs, who started saying “we have no more time, you HAVE to begin to compromise”, but really there was very little sign of compromise among the negotiators in the room. It was quite odd how little nitty-gritty details still took up hours and hours of discussion and those of us observing were thinking: come on, get on to the meat of this thing! But they never did get to the meat – that’s why it got pushed up to the heads of state in a ridiculous form, which was heads of state negotiating a draft text, and that is something that you do not see very often! Photo: IETA 18 So you believe it was because of this obsession with details and the lack of urgency that the agreement was hammered out by a few heads of state, and it was less ambitious than had been hoped for? I think if the negotiators had been willing to compromise on some of the smaller issues we could have got much further much more quickly but you definitely did not see much willingness to work together – there was not a feeling of goodwill between the parties. WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 | interview | It was things like: no we don’t want to use that word there, we prefer this word, what do you mean by that phrase? – and you’re sitting there going, who cares about that phrase! That phrase is insignificant! So there was tension between the different groups? Oh certainly – an extreme lack of trust for one, and an unwillingness to put themselves on the line, so nobody wanted to be the person to give in to any other party – and it was definitely seen as giving in. So it was not a very happy situation. What did you think of the outcome of COP15? It was pretty disappointing. We would have liked to see a much stronger and clearer agreement, but there were some important pros to balance the cons. For one, it got heads of state engaged on this issue – over 100 heads of state were present at that meeting. That is an extraordinary accomplishment and a good sign to business that times are changing. It wouldn’t have happened in the past – say under President Bush. Copenhagen was a memorable event for that very reason, that you had Obama in the room with the premier of China, the president of Brazil and so on. Of course, we wanted actual commitment, but we did see movement. From my perspective as an American living in Washington DC, I’m very conscious of the domestic environment we work in. Having got China to agree to emissions intensity targets that are very ambitious – 40-45% by 2020 – and getting India to agree to the same and having very ambitious commitments from Africa and Brazil means we can say: look at these developing countries, you’ve been telling them for so long to commit to something and they are. These commitments are a boost to our ability to pass domestic legislation, which is important to the whole world – everyone needs to see a cap and trade system in place in the US, and we’ve been having difficulties with that so far. And the last point, which I’m sure offends many people in the UN, but which at least gets things done, is that you had a change in the last few days in who was engaged in the discussions. So instead of having Venezuela and Tuvalu – who obviously have their rights just as anyone else does – you have a focus on the countries that really matter in terms of climate change and emissions reductions. When you have 190 countries WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 trying to negotiate it is necessary to focus in on the ones that can solve the problem. The UN is usually a consensus-based decision-making body, but this is a critical issue and maybe we can’t wait until 190 countries agree. And so the willingness to focus in on those countries that really matter is a necessity, if not a welcome necessity. You need a decision to be taken somewhere. How about the negative aspects of the outcome of COP? The agreement itself! It’s written in very high level language that does not send very specific signals to business. What we need is domestic [US] legislation to enforce the agreement on an international level and then business will have the signals that it needs to go forward with the investment to create our low carbon future. Until we have those domestic signals we’re not going to see the extreme commitment on the part of business to tackle its problems – no-one’s going to put money into something they’re not sure has an economic value, and right now we’re not completely positive that carbon will have a long-term economic value. “Until an agreement is reached on things like monitoring and reporting verification – and until the US passes domestic legislation [...] I don’t see a chance for significant change.” What will happen in Mexico in 2010? Well, I think a precedent was set in Copenhagen to work at a higher level first and iron out the details later. So I think the discussions which began months before Copenhagen between the US and China and some of the other developing countries will continue. Until an agreement is reached at a high level on things like monitoring and reporting verification – and until the US passes domestic legislation and can say we will sign up to this cut – I don’t see a chance for significant change at these ground levels of negotiations that we saw all year. The negotiators in the room on a daily basis no longer have the power to make significant decisions – everything’s been taken to a higher level. Can a legally binding agreement be reached in 2010? I definitely do think it’s possible and I certainly am very hopeful, but it remains to be seen. 19 The backbone of Europe’s energy future Mark your calendar Photo: Chrétien Rudy Grids 2010, Berlin, Germany, 23-24 November 2010 Upgrading, extending and connecting Europe’s electricity grids is essential to meet Europe’s emissions reduction and renewable energy targets. Without new and better grids Europe cannot exploit its enormous wind energy resources and rapidly move towards a renewable energy economy. This two-day conference and exhibition will explore the financial, technical, policy and regulatory issues that will shape the development of a grid that meets Europe’s energy, consumer and climate needs. ORGANISED BY: 20 SUPPORTED BY: WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 www.ewea.org/grids2010 | feature | Plain sailing? By Zoë Casey Sailing through or near an offshore wind farm will fast become a route-planning reality for many sailors ffshore wind energy is on the precipice of a take-off that could see it become a major source of electricity for a large number of countries in Europe. But, as wind turbines spring up in European waters and Europe’s seafarers hoist their sails for a day at sea, sailors are asking themselves what offshore wind farms will have in store for them. From negotiating a leisurely sail around a wind farm, to new safety at sea implications, or even to setting a wind farm as a marker for a sailboat race course, offshore wind farms are likely to bring both new horizons and an element of complication for sea-goers. Those setting sail in waters surrounding the United Kingdom and Ireland, and off the coasts of Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, and Belgium, are either by now encountering wind farms or, as the expansion of offshore wind power takes hold, they will do in the very near future. Shallow waters Sailing clubs in the Øresund waters near Copenhagen, Denmark are already organising sailing and racing in the vicinity of the wind farms “without any problems,” Morten Lorenzen CEO of the Danish Royal Yacht Club in Copenhagen, said. Wind turbines are in areas which are in any case prohibited for sailors, as they are located in shallow waters where various objects have been dumped making sailing difficult. On a sailor’s chart such areas are marked as unsafe. Turbines in inshore waters can even be a useful wind indicator: “During the summer, with predominately light winds, we ask: are the wind mills turning? If so, the wind will soon come to our sailing area,” Lorenzen said. WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 Lorenzen said he would be in favour of wind farms located further out to sea “where the wind is much more stable and where the waters are easier to navigate.” Onshore breezes reaching near-shore turbines such as the ones at Middelgrunden farm in Øresund can be blocked or funnelled by buildings and headlands. While Denmark is the pioneer of wind energy in Europe, the UK is set to massively surpass it when it comes to offshore wind power in the coming years. The British government has recently announced plans for new offshore wind zones in many sea areas surrounding the British Isles, and the response from sailors is largely positive. One of those new sites is set to be off the south-west coast of the Isle of Wight. Chris Thomas from the Island Sailing Club in Cowes, Isle of Wight, said he personally thinks the offshore farms are a “jolly good idea.” Sailors should not find the turbines an obstacle since they will be located on Bembridge Ledge; an area of shallow seabed which is “not at all suitable for sailing,” Thomas said. Climate-conscious sailors Given that sailors spend much time out in the elements, it is hardly surprising that many of them are also environmentalists. Eoin Quinn, Commodore of Arklow sailing club on the east coast of Ireland where a seven-turbine offshore wind farm is located, said he believes that, “most members of Arklow sailing club find the wind Photo: DONG Energy O 21 | feature | farm a better alternative to traditional fossil fuel power generation.” “I have rarely heard any negative comment in relation to the wind farm, turbines or the possibility of additional turbines,” Quinn said. Moreover, he says that since the wind farm was erected, “there has been great interest from the local sailing and boating community, with boats and yachts making regular visits out to the vicinity of the wind farm.” Another keen sailor, Anne-Flore Laloë from Les Glénans saling club, Brittany, France, says that, “sailors should be the first to realise the awesome potential of wind power for transportation, generating electricity and general green living.” While Laloë’s region is yet to have an offshore wind farm, she says there are very few disadvantages for sailors in placing wind farms out at sea. “I don’t find a turbine to be an eyesore. Actually I find them quite cool and futuristic looking, especially compared to pylons or the cemented seafronts of La Baule or the Côte d’Azur,” she said. Setting sail near a wind farm From under-water rocks, pipes and other debris, to shipping lanes and oil and gas rigs further out to sea, sailors already have to navigate around a large range of objects. An offshore wind farm would be an additional one, but, like all the others, they are charted on widely available maps of the sea and seabed. An offshore wind farm could also have the added value of serving as a navigation mark, once it has been charted, when features on the shore are hard to pick out in falling light levels or fog. For sailors who enjoy fishing, a wind farm could also help preserve local fish stocks since commercial fishing boats cannot navigate near the shallow waters. But boats are also a potential risk to the turbines. Anchors dropped into the seabed could damage cables linking turbines and an offshore farm to the land and, although none have happened so far, there is a risk of collision. From a sailor’s perspective, Laloë said that she would be fine to sail near a wind farm, adding she would approach an offshore turbine with the “same caution” as she would do for any buoy or obstacle at sea. Her keenness to sail near to an offshore wind farm was also echoed by a survey carried out by the UK’s Royal Yachting Association (RYA), a national organisation representing all forms of boating. Their poll found that some 75% of respondents who regularly sail in European waters said they would be “happy” to sail through a wind farm. With safety in mind, Lorenzen said that turbines must be obvious from the water: “As long as turbines are safely marked, and they are, we see no problems.” “Since many sailors have engineering roots, I think a lot of people find them interesting,” Lorenzen added. Sailing and water sports can go on near wind turbines with no problem Conflicting interests There are “many conflicting interests of users of the sea,” pointed out Kees van der Tak, senior project manager at Marin, a centre for marine research in Wageningen, the Netherlands. Sailors are among the more traditional users of the sea, but in times of climate and energy crises, more space is needed for marine newcomers such as offshore wind. Maritime planning is currently fragmented along sectoral and national lines, and it is clear that a more co-ordinated approach involving all users of the sea equally is needed, but how strict these rules should be is a potential sticking point. Under current rules, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), there are safety zones of 500m around each object. But this exclusion zone is not obligatory, meaning that small boats are within their rights to sail near turbines. The RYA says that since sailors usually have a high level of local knowledge, wind farms do not present additional dangers and sailors should have the freedom of choice on how close to go. Photo: Matt Williams 22 WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 | feature | Photo: Matt Williams In 2002, the RYA officially objected to plans to put navigational exclusion zones in place around the Robin Rigg offshore wind farm in Scotland during both its construction and operational phase. While no-entry zones around oil and gas rigs are necessary, wind farms do not handle flammable or explosive fuels that could cause injury or pollution so the same rules are not necessary, the RYA said. “Wind farm arrays will be a new type of marine feature; larger, but in principle no different to any other which needs to be accommodated in a passage plan,” the RYA stated. Safety measures for wind farm sailing essential The RYA also says a minimum of security measures need to be in place for those sailing near offshore turbines. For example, turbine blade-tips should be far enough from the sea level to allow room for an averaged sized yacht to easily sail underneath. The British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) does not object to this, although it says the RYA’s recommendation should be kept under review. WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 Turbines at sea should also be well lit with powerful fog-cutting lights on the towers themselves and possibly on buoys marking out the area. When it comes to emergencies, the RYA says there should be an “emergency response system” in place. Turbines should be able to shut down when there is an emergency call, and in popular sailing areas, a safety boat should be on stand-by. Notices warning of the risks posed by construction vessels, anchors, divers, tugs and barges working on the construction of a wind farm, could also be pinned up at local sailing clubs and made available on relevant websites, the RYA says. When it comes to the possible effects of turbines on a boat’s navigational equipment, the UK’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) carried out tests on navigational equipment sailors might use. No adverse effects on boat satellites, magnetic compasses and VHF communications equipment were found, the MCA said. Racing around offshore wind farms but many sailors are competitive racers and an offshore wind farm can add a new element to a wind-powered regatta. One of the first races to an offshore wind farm to take place was out to the Arklow Bank wind farm in the Irish Sea. Now, every June, Arklow sailing club organises a popular annual ‘turbines yacht race’. Such is the attraction of offshore wind farms and sailing that some wind industry companies have hopped on-board. An annual regatta takes place in the waters surrounding the Thannet offshore wind farm in the North Sea. Mike Brand, Commodore of the Royal Temple Yacht Club near Ramsgate in the UK said he was “delighted” that the RTYC partnered with Vattenfall for the 2009 event, and is set to repeat the joint venture for this year’s championship. With plenty of entries from wind companies across Europe, the BWEA also holds a popular annual boat race. Last year, some 58 boats and 39 wind and marine companies entered, all racing for the sought-after regatta trophy. Pottering about on the water may be a common image associated with sailing, 23 SAVE UP TO EARLY REGIST OR SS THE MASS MI I DISCOUNTS F VE €300 TION RA ON’ T Offshore Wind Energy in Europe conference How to construct, connect and operate a profitable offshore wind farm in Europe 7-8 April, Radisson Blu Scandinavia, Copenhagen Expert Speakers Include: Mainstream Renewable Power, EON, EDP Renewables, National Grid Offshore, The Crown Estate, European Investment Bank, OFGEM, Siemens Wind Power and many more… $POGFSFODFr&YIJCJUJPOr/FUXPSLJOH An industry led agenda focusing only on the core challenges and opportunities for offshore wind development in Europe ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Hear how to create a bankable offshore wind farm Gearing up your offshore site for success from the start Offshore wind power transmission – connecting the dots Choosing the right installation options to meet time, cost & quality requirements Access all offshore areas - keeping O&M front of mind Exclusive conference information at www.windenergyupdate.com/europe APRIL MARCH– 2009 NOVEMBER–DECEMBER 2009 2009 JULY–AUGUST RENEW ABLE ENERGY WORLD ■ REVIEW RENEWABLE ENERGY WORLD D GY WORL E ENER RENEWABL 2010 PLUS ISSUE 2009– DIRECTORY VOLUME IERS OF SUPPL 0 12 NUM BER 2 ICS ING PV SOLAR IES PHOTOVOLTA ■Y ■ SOLAR THERM ENERG WIN ETS ■ UTILIT D CPV COMES INTO FOCUS AL MARK M ■ OCEAN AL ■ REN CEFAR ■ GLOB ■ OPTIMISM ING MARCH– FOR OFFSHORE EWABLE DESIGN ■ Y ■ FINAN IN CSP ■ SETTING NG AND COOL APR RENEWA US SOLAR SECTOR HEATI R ■ POLIC WIND ■ THE IL 200 THE S IN STANDARD POWE IN BLE 2010 ■ KEY PLAYERS FOR AL CUBA, 9 THERM THERMAL PV ■ HYBRID PV-SOLAR VOLUME SOLAR S SUP THERMAL SYSTEMS THE SOL R ■0903_ REW_ 12 NUM TING SOLAR ERH ■ INTEGRATING OFC.i WIND POWE OMON ndd IGHWAY WIND BER 2 1 ■ CONCENTRA ISLANDS NEE ■ BIOENERGY AND SEN DED ■ NOVEMBER–DECEMBER EGAL 2009 VOLUME 12 NUMBER 6 PLUS VOLUME VOLUME 12 NUMBER 01 JOBS: 2009 –2 ERKING WO SU EUR WITH W IS OPE PLIERS WIND SUP’S VISION: REVIE ■ REC RY OF PV AND YCL DIRECTO 6 ER 4 12 NUMB ER 4 E 12 NUMB 1 2009 VOLUM 0911_REW_C1.indd JULY–AUGUST 13/8/09 15:31:03 1 24 WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 Make your own fortune European Wind Energy Conference and Exhibition (EWEC 2010) 20-23 April 2010, Expo XXI, Warsaw, Poland European Wind Energy Conference and Exhibition (EWEC 2011) Register now and save up to 250 EUR www.ewec2010.info Book your exhibition space now BRUSSELS 14-17 March 2011, Brussels, Belgium European Offshore Wind Conference & Exhibition 2011 29 November - 1 December 2011 Amsterdam, The Netherlands www.ewec2011.info Book your exhibition space now www.offshorewind2011.info Don’t leave your future to chance. Join Europe’s premier wind energy events to see the latest developments and new business opportunities. Wind energy is forecast to generate almost 200 billion euros of investment in Europe over the next 10 years. By attending, exhibiting or presenting at one of EWEA’s upcoming events you will be at the heart of this huge new energy economy. SUPPORTED BY: All EWEA events are organised by the industry for the industry and WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 represent real value for money: every euro you spend on these events is put to work promoting wind energy. ORGANISED BY: 25 Give your business a lift European Wind Energy Conference and Exhibition (EWEC) 20-23 April 2010, Expo XXI Warsaw, Poland LEARN ABOUT THE POLISH MARKET +LOWRQ+RWHO :DUVDZ Register now to both events and join over 7,000 wind professionals Where do you want to be in a year’s time ahead of the competition or standing still? Whether you are an established industry player or a newcomer to this thriving sector, EWEC 2010 is a must-attend event. Join over 7,000 key players in Warsaw to develop new opportunities and lift your company to the next level. Featuring Polish Day: These events are organised by the industry for the industry and represents real value for money: every euro you spend on these events is put to work promoting wind energy. SUPPORTED BY: 26 ORGANISED BY: www.ewec2010.info WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 www.conference2010.pwea.pl | country focus | A closer look at Romania... In 2010, Wind Directions will take a look at a selection of the developing wind energy markets with the most potential. By Anne Liekenbrock A fter large hydro, wind energy is the second most important renewable energy technology in Romania, despite the county’s late start and as yet small installed capacity. In 2009, cumulative wind capacity was marginally over 14 MW. Excluding large hydro, this represents some 15% of all renewable electricity installed capacity. Romania has to meet a binding EU target of 24% renewable energy in final consumption by 2020 – up from 17.8% in 2005. Romania has a great theoretical wind energy potential with an average wind speed of above 6.3 m/s1. The best locations are found in the Dobrogea region, Moldova Hills and other hilly or mountainous plateaux. Although most of the turbines currently in operation are second hand and owned by local companies, Romania has a significant amount of wind projects in the pipeline, and large projects supported by foreign companies along with national players are planned or under construction, including a project in Fontanele and Cogealac that should, upon completion of all phases, reach a capacity of 600 MW. With such investor interest and wind speeds averaging above 6.3 m/s, there is no doubt that wind power will play a major role in Romania’s future energy mix. “Wind energy will be key for us to reach our 2020 renewables target,” Alexandru Sandulescu from the Romanian Ministry of Economy commented at a European workshop on the integration of wind energy in Romania in April 2009. Since 2004, Romanian energy legislation has provided for the mandatory dispatching and priority trading of renewable energies. Romania also adopted the system of Green Certificates with quota obligation. The mandatory quota increased from 0.7% in 2005 to 2.74% in 2007, and will reach 16.8% by 2020. 1 At 60m above ground level. WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 Photo: Dreamstime/Ioannicolae Romania – the wind energy facts NATIONAL EU RENEWABLE TARGET . . . . . 24% CURRENT RENEWABLE ENERGY CAPACITY . . . . . CURRENT INSTALLED WIND ENERGY CAPACITY . . . THEORETICAL WIND ENERGY CAPACITY POTENTIAL . Romania’s support mechanism for renewable energy was updated in November 2008 via the adoption of law 220/2008. However, the legislation has yet to come into force as administrative delays and a late communication to the European Commission have stalled the process. It is expected that the text will be cleared by Brussels in the coming months and that the law will enter into force during the course of this year. The Romanian Wind Energy Association (RWEA) expects installed capacity in 2020 to be significantly above the government’s estimates. There are almost 4 GW of projects in advanced planning stages and a 15 GW pipeline. Analysts consider that Romania could cover between 30% and 60% of its total electricity demands with wind power by 2020. The Romanian TSO currently considers that 800 MW to 1,000 MW of wind generation (equivalent to 3,000 to 4,000 MW of installed capacity) by 2020, up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . from 17.8% in 2005 . . . . . 91.86 MW . . . . . 13.81 MW . . 23 TWh per year can be adequately managed without any significant restrictions. However, investments in the grid infrastructure are needed to fully exploit the vast wind potential to avoid congestion, especially in the Dobrogea region where there are some of the best winds, but also a significant amount of thermal and nuclear generation. An EWEA policy workshop was held last year in Bucharest. Photo: EWEA 27 | focus | The climate battle Copenhagen and its aftermath As COP15 got underway, it seemed the hopes of the world were pinned on Copenhagen, and on whether the international community could come up with a global plan to reduce and reverse the worst effects of climate change. By Chris Rose W hile it was billed by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown as the most important international meeting since the Second World War, the more impartial arc of history will reveal whether the two-week UN climate change conference held here in Denmark in December lived up to its heady potential. Certainly much was at stake as the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) meeting in Copenhagen began on 7 December. The expected attendance of an unheralded number of global leaders. Agreeing target reductions for greenhouse gas emissions. Developing nations accepting responsibility for their carbon outputs. Finding how to help the poorest 28 countries finance necessary and costly mitigation efforts. The Copenhagen summit had the potential to allow the world to begin replacing the fossil-fuel hungry business-asusual approach to the way society uses energy with a green revolution powered by wind and other renewables. The potential for the world to endorse in Copenhagen a new, strengthened post-Kyoto treaty began picking up steam in late 2007 at the COP13 meeting in Bali, Indonesia, when nations agreed to a two-year negotiating process that was to result in an international climate change pact limiting and then reducing destructive greenhouse gas emissions associated with burning fossil fuels. Discussions continued at the COP14 conference in Poznan, Poland in December 2008, followed by five additional negotiating sessions in 2009 in Bonn, Bangkok and Barcelona. In the two years before Copenhagen – sometimes referred to as ‘Hopenhagen’, such was the anticipation surrounding the summit – the public and media attention focused on global warming issues seemed to increase exponentially, especially after scientists on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) revealed conclusively that the biggest cause of global warming was humankind’s doomed love affair with polluting fossil fuels. WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 | focus | Photo: Reporters That wasn’t always the case, however. Climate change discussions were barely on the public agenda in 1992 when the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was adopted to respond to global warming caused by burning fossil fuels. When the Kyoto Protocol was adopted at the COP3 meeting in Japan in 1997, society had begun to realise it needed to reign in its escalating levels of greenhouse gases. The aim of the Kyoto Protocol, which runs out at the end of 2012, is to stabilise greenhouse gases in the atmosphere to prevent dangerous human interference with the climate. Kyoto entered into force in 2005 with WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 Photo: Crispin Aubrey the backing of 187 states, but without the United States – then the world’s biggest emitter and responsible for 21% of global greenhouse gas emissions in 1990. While Kyoto was a diplomatic start to the climate change fight, ongoing science soon revealed that global warming is happening at a faster rate with more serious consequences than previously predicted. Global emissions in 2009 were 25% higher than in 1990. As the high-profile Copenhagen conference drew nearer, several questions remained for the international community. Would world leaders agree on a binding formula that sees CO2 emissions peak by 2015 and then decline rapidly so that global temperature rise can be limited to 2°C by the end of this century? Would wealthy industrialised nations pass on enough finance so developing countries can also reduce their own growing carbon footprints? Would the business-as-usual approach result in a future marked by melting ice sheets, rising sea levels, droughts, famine, pandemics of contagious diseases, mass extinction of species and mass migration? Or would politicians have the courage to embrace a healthier, smarter, green energy revolution? Organised to decide the future of humankind as we know it, the hotly-awaited Copenhagen conference was to come up with answers to those questions. 29 | focus | A disappointing outcome in Copenhagen Despite the Copenhagen Accord, a legally-binding international agreement on limiting and then reducing global greenhouse gas emissions is still required. I n the end, the Copenhagen Accord, arrived at by the leaders of just five nations on 18 December, was a mind-numbing disappointment considering the two years of work that international negotiators had logged trying to work towards a new, strengthened post-Kyoto agreement on reducing greenhouse gases. The 12-point plan agreed to by the US, China, India, Brazil and South Africa after 10 days of discussion at the UN climate change conference in the Bella Centre in Copenhagen was vague, unambitious and non-legally binding. While it contained no firm targets for limiting and then rapidly reducing greenhouse gases caused by burning fossil fuels, the Accord – eventually supported by a majority of countries attending the conference – did acknowledge that climate change is one of humankind’s greatest challenges. US President Obama addresses the conference 30 “We emphasise our strong political will to urgently combat climate change in accordance with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities,” the accord stated. Nations need to work harder to fight global warming in order to keep temperature rise to less than 2°C, it added. “We agree that deep cuts in global emissions are required according to science,” the Accord noted. In order to keep global temperature rise below 2°C so that runaway climate change does not occur, the document notes that wealthy, industrialised nations will implement “quantified economy-wide emissions targets from 2020, to be listed in the accord before 31 January 2010.” Continuing, it also notes “a number of developing countries, including major emerging economies, agreed to communicate their efforts to limit Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark By Chris Rose greenhouse gas emissions every two years, also listing their voluntary pledges before the 31 January 2010.” The Accord says heads of state intend to establish the “Copenhagen Green Climate Fund” to support immediate action on climate change in poor countries. This mitigation fund for the years 2010 to 2012 is to be approximately $30 billion. Developed nations also agreed to raise $100 billion annually by 2020 to help developing countries fight climate change. “This funding will come from a wide variety of sources, public and private, bilateral and multilateral, including alternative sources of finance. New multilateral funding for adaptation will be delivered through effective and efficient fund arrangements, with a governance structure providing for equal representation of developed and developing countries. A significant portion of such funding should flow through the Copenhagen Green Climate Fund.” The document stated that a review of the accord is to be completed by 2015 since the pledges listed by developed and developing countries may be insufficient to keep the global temperature rise below 2°C. The Accord also noted that a Technology Mechanism to accelerate technology development and transfer in support of action on adaptation and mitigation will be established. The mechanism “will be guided by a country-driven approach and be based on national circumstances and priorities.” In discussing the Accord, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon described it as a good first step. “We have sealed the deal,” he said. “This accord cannot be everything that everyone hoped for, but it is an essential beginning.” WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 Photo: Jacob Nielsen/DWIA | focus | At COP15, the size of this balloon underlined the battle we face to reduce CO2 in the atmosphere Kyoto, Copenhagen and what happens next With 194 Parties, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has near universal membership and is the parent treaty of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol has been ratified by 190 of the UNFCCC Parties. Under the Protocol, 37 States, consisting of highly industrialised countries and countries undergoing the process of transition to a market economy, have legally binding emission limitation and reduction commitments. The ultimate objective of both treaties is to stabilise greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that will prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system. In Copenhagen, 119 world leaders attended the meeting, the largest gathering of heads of state and government in the history of the UN. The next annual UN climate change conference is to take place late in 2010 in Mexico City, preceded by a negotiating session in Bonn, Germany, scheduled 31 May to 11 June. “Climate change is the permanent leadership challenge of our time,” he added. “I therefore urge world leaders to remain engaged.” UNFCCC Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer was less positive. “We must be honest about what we have got,” said de Boer. “The world walks away from Copenhagen with a deal. But clearly ambitions to reduce emissions must be raised significantly if we are to WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 hold the world to two degrees.” De Boer called the accord “a package to work with” and said immediate action by politicians is now required. “We need to be clear that it is a letter of intent and is not precise about what needs to be done in legal terms. So the challenge is now to turn what we have agreed politically in Copenhagen into something real, measurable and verifiable.” While scholars and historians will debate the value of the Copenhagen Accord, there is no doubt that governments, businesses and environmentalists will all experience increased uncertainty until the world agrees to a legally-binding treaty that sees global greenhouse gas emissions peak by 2015 before rapidly declining. The accord reached in Denmark, which many see as a stalling tactic by narrow national self interests, was frustrating for the wind power industry since it is already supplying increasing amounts of emissions-free electricity and, because it is a rapidly deployable proven technology, can provide an even greater solution to climate change. Steve Sawyer, Secretary-General of the Global Wind Energy Council, described the accord as vague and not helpful to the wind industry. “The voluntary approach taken in this declaration would fail to send clear confidence building signals to the market and to investors. If this document goes forward as the basis for negotiation, then it will be important to keep an eye on how the agreement will catalyse investment in clean energy technologies,” Sawyer said. “The wind energy industry stands ready to deliver on its promise to save 10 billion tonnes of CO2 by 2020. The boom of wind energy and other renewable energy technologies will continue, driven by national concerns over climate change, and economic and security considerations. However, a clear signal of long-term political commitment into decarbonising our energy system would drive even more private investment to clean technologies. I hope that global leaders will not miss this unique opportunity to speed up the energy revolution.” 31 | focus | Copenhagen: powerful presence for global wind industry T here was no missing the wind power message in Copenhagen. Everywhere you went in Denmark’s capital city the instantly recognisable image of the three bladed turbine on its slender tower was evident across billboards, giant screens and in countless leaflets, brochures and fliers. From the metro stations to street exhibitions to the crowded halls of the Bella Centre, where the main climate talks took place, the wind turbine image was ubiquitous. Mainly organised by the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), but with the close involvement of EWEA and industrial members of both organisations, the international wind industry had set up a rolling programme of events and activities both inside and outside the conference venue over the middle two weeks of December. Having the Danish Wind Industry Association (DWIA) based in Copenhagen, and able to organise many of the GWEC-sponsored events, was a bonus. So was the fact that Denmark can boast the largest penetration of wind power in the world – about 20% at the last count. If the Danes can do it, was the message to the delegates from almost 200 nations, then so can you. “The wind industry has never had the same visibility at international climate negotiations before, and I think it has really made an impact,” said GWEC Secretary General Steve Sawyer, who has been attending UN climate negotiations for more than 20 years. “As a sector, we are finally being heard and getting our message across that wind power can contribute substantial cuts in CO2 emissions. People hadn’t really made that Delegates and press members at COP15 gaze up at turbines on a boat trip to Middelgrunden wind farm 32 Photo: DWIA and GWEC By Crispin Aubrey connection between climate and wind before, but now they’re starting to get it. Wind turbines have become the symbol for the fight against climate change.” The wind power industry ensured its visibility with a presence in all the right places. One of the brightest ideas was to set up a free coffee stall right outside the entrance to the Bella Centre. As the weather turned bitterly cold and the queues of people trying to access an already overcrowded venue turned into hundreds, and then thousands, the demand for a hot drink proved a powerful magnet. Hopefully the queuing delegates, as they warmed their hands around the recycled cardboard cups of steaming brew, registered who had made the effort to stop them freezing. Inside the Bella Centre the industry was prominently promoted in an exhibition organised by the Climate Consortium, a public-private partnership between the Danish state and five major business organisations, including the DWIA. Across a giant screen filled with wind turbines the message was that by 2050, “renewables can be the main platform of our power systems”. There were also interactive displays of the technologies available to combat climate change, including wind energy, and a number of presentations by industry figures. Nearby, a joint EWEA/GWEC stand offered visitors the chance to send home large coloured postcards of wind power at work around the world. Just outside the conference centre a 61 metre blade, the largest manufactured by Danish blade maker LM Glasfiber, was on display. To emphasise its scale, an explanatory sign pointed out that once installed, the 5 MW turbine’s rotor diameter would be greater than the height of the Statue of Liberty. A fully operational Vestas 850 kW turbine had also been installed overlooking the venue. Over the middle weekend of the conference, wind and other renewables WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 | focus | Wind industry voices in Copenhagen “When people talk about how to reduce the global output of CO2, if every country got 20% of its electricity from the wind, as we do in Denmark, it would be quite a different story. Our message is: ‘It’s possible, just do it!’.” Ditlev Engel, CEO, Vestas “Wind is already the most mature and competitive of the renewable technologies and can offer a solution in a short timescale. The only things we need to make that happen are visibility, predictability and probably a clear price for every tonne of carbon saved.” Xabier Viteri, CEO, Iberdrola Renovables The turbine outside the conference venue provided power to the event featured in the Bright Green exhibition, which filled a giant hall in the centre of Copenhagen with the latest green technologies. Exhibitors included DONG Energy, with its commitment to 85% renewable generation by 2020, and Vestas, with a digital counter clicking up the number of its turbines installed each day, and their CO2 saving. In a royal flush, Vestas CEO Ditlev Engel personally escorted round the show members of the royal families from Sweden, Denmark and Norway. For those who wanted to see the technology in action, a series of boat trips was organised by the Danish hosts to the wind farm conveniently located in the sea just off Copenhagen harbour. The Middelgrunden wind park – 20 Siemens 2 MW turbines curved in a gentle arc – welcomed a steady stream of conference delegates and journalists. Among the former were US Interior Secretary, Ken Salazar and the US Ambassador to WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 Photo: DWIA and GWEC Denmark, Laura Fulbright. Among the latter were representatives of leading international media, including the New York Times. A central focus of GWEC activity in Copenhagen was the Wind Power Works campaign, whose aim throughout 2009 had been to show how wind power has become a truly global phenomenon. The campaign website’s 12 monthly examples of wind farms from around the world – each with a different story to tell about the technology’s advantages culminated with Horns Rev 2. Located off the North Sea coast of Denmark, this is currently the largest offshore project in the world. Magnificent photos of all 12 sites, captured by experienced international photographers, featured at several venues around the Danish capital. There were also a number of more formal industry-organised events. A “high level dinner” enabled a number of politicians and officials involved in the climate “I think we’re the most visible industry at the conference. People know now that we can deploy renewable technology and avoid carbon - because the Europeans have shown it can happen. We just need to get the rest of the world to agree.” Denise Bode, CEO, American Wind Energy Association “Whatever happens here we still strongly believe that the industry can grow at a rate of 20%, and if there is a very clear roadmap as a result of a global deal, then at more than 30%.” Tulsi Tanti, Chairman, Suzlon Energy “The important thing is that we end up with binding (emissions reduction) targets, which would have to met by renewable energy. But if we’re going to deliver those targets then other barriers need to be overcome, especially the need for a new grid infrastructure.” Ian Mays, CEO, Renewable Energy Systems 33 | focus | One of the many demonstrations to take place during COP15 negotiations, including the US Under Secretary of Energy, Kristina Johnson and the newly appointed Danish Climate and Energy Minister, Lykke Friis, to meet leading wind industry figures. Before that the CEOs of Vestas, RES, Suzlon and NRG Systems, as well as Steve Sawyer of GWEC, took part in a panel discussion chaired by Denise Bode, CEO of the American Wind Energy Association. The chief executives of Vestas, Acciona and Iberdrola also participated in a panel organised by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, whilst EWEA itself took part in three side events at which CEO Christian Kjaer pointed out, among other things, that the capacity of wind power installed globally in 2008 was equal to the capacity of nuclear installed over the entire previous decade. Outside these formal events, the major turbine manufacturers and other wind-related companies made their presence felt in numerous public spaces. At the airport Spanish company Acciona promised a “new world of renewables”. At the entrance to metro stations Siemens had covered the walls with its optimistic “Hopenhagen” message and wind turbine images. In one of the main city squares Suzlon had sponsored an outside photo exhibition with the promise that “wind energy is the main power generation technology in a position to make a difference in reducing CO2 emissions 34 in the critical period up to 2020”. It was difficult to move anywhere in the Danish capital, which was crammed with climaterelated events and displays, without being reminded that wind represented the positive side of the debate. Altogether, GWEC estimated that about 300 wind industry insiders were present in Copenhagen, including the CEOs of wind turbine manufacturers, wind farm operators and developers. Most felt their presence was vital in terms of spreading the message that wind power was an essential part of the solution to the climate crisis. “We’ve been working for the last three years all over the world to communicate what we think is central about these messages; now it’s all coming together at COP15,” said Ditlev Engel of Vestas. “We’re hoping to tell the story, like all our colleagues from around the world, that if you want to avoid carbon, wind is one of the best ways to do it immediately,” said Denise Bode of the AWEA. “I think all the major players understand this is a big opportunity to achieve something,” said Xabier Viteri of Iberdrola. “This is a very important event, not just for our company but for the sustainability of the global economy,” said Tulsi Tanti of Suzlon. The views of leading figures in the international wind industry were also promoted through a short film on the Wind Power Works website. Participants included Roland Sunden of LM Glasfiber, Han Photo: DWIA and GWEC Junliang of Sinovel, Tulsi Tanti, Xabier Viteri and Per Hornung Pedersen of REpower. Many of the delegates at the conference came from developing countries which have not yet experienced the reality of wind power. “They were all very interested in renewables,” said Sven Teske, Climate Campaigner for Greenpeace International, who organised a side event, “and they particularly liked the fact that wind power can be quickly installed and therefore follow demand.” The wind industry’s message was best summed up by GWEC’s latest projections, presented at a press conference on day eight of the event, held jointly with the United Nations Environment Project. These showed that by 2020, wind power could have reached a global installed capacity of 2,000 GW. This would represent a cumulative CO2 saving of 10 billion tonnes – enough to achieve up to 65% of the emissions reductions being pledged by industrialised countries. “If you want to make a difference in the power sector between now and 2020,” said GWEC’s Secretary-General Steve Sawyer, “there are basically three things you can do. First of all, introduce efficiency measures. Then you can switch from coal and gas. But in terms of new power supply then renewables are the way forward, and wind is one of the only sources that can make a difference in this timescale.” For more information: www.windpowerworks.net WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 industry expert With 25 years of experience in the wind sector to draw on, no other publication matches our expertise as an independent source of news, views and analysis. How to subscribe Visit windpowermonthly.com/subscribe Email subscription@windpowermonthly.com Call Europe +45 86 365 900 US & rest of the world +1 951 325 8010 WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 35 | focus | Post-COP15 wind industry will keep its momentum W hile the COP15 conference in Copenhagen did not have much direct impact on the wind energy sector, it did create greater political awareness of the problems associated with climate change that hopefully can be used to help heads of state arrive at a legally binding agreement that reduces greenhouse gas emissions. “In that sense, COP15 was perhaps a small step on the road to getting the international community to address climate change seriously,” Christian Kjaer, the CEO of EWEA, also said. Kjaer, who attended the UN climate change conference in December, added that the so-called Copenhagen Accord – which the conference ‘takes note of’ – did acknowledge the to keep global mean temperature “Even if we had had need rise below 2°C above pre-industrial a legally binding levels. “But there is no clear means to get agreement in there, and the carbon reduction pledges on the table certainly don’t do it – neiCopenhagen, it would ther will the pledges that countries are not have had an sending by end January to the UN be immediate effect on sufficient to reduce carbon emissions the level that the scientists say is the wind power market to necessary.” “It seems that what appears in the because a carbon price document is the lowest common dedoes not directly affect nominator of the elements to which the wind power investments.” new ‘big five powers’ (China, India, US, Brazil and South Africa) could come to agreement on, and the rest of the world (including the EU) was told to ‘take it or leave it,” was the reaction of Steve Sawyer, SecretaryGeneral of the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC). “This is a weak agreement, which missed a unique opportunity to make genuine progress towards saving the climate and spurring investment in renewable energy technologies.” Kjaer noted that the accord, which was eventually endorsed by most of the 190 nations attending the UN conference, did promise $30 billion in mitigation funding to the developing world between 2010 and 2012 and up to $100 billion annually by 2020. However, he added that promises are vague as to where the money is actually going to come from. Also lacking clarity, he said, is a “Technology Panel” and the “Copenhagen Green Climate 36 By Chris Rose Fund” which lack explanation as to how it will be governed and what, precisely, it will do. “For the wind industry, COP15 did not change much. We didn’t gain much, but we didn’t lose anything either, but momentum was kept,” he said. “Even if we had had a legally binding agreement in Copenhagen, it would not have had an immediate and direct effect on the wind power market because a carbon price does not directly affect wind power investments. The direct effect would be on technologies that emit carbon and that would make investors turn to zero-carbon technologies. Since (onshore) wind power is the most affordable of the zero-carbon technologies, that would direct more investments towards wind energy -- had there been an agreement. “But this would be a medium to long-term effect. That is exactly why it is important to have specific legislation to promote renewable energy technologies, which there is in most countries. This is what drives the markets and what brings down the cost (economies of scale) of new technologies – onshore and offshore wind power, hydro, geothermal, solar thermal, photovoltaics, tidal/wave power etc. A carbon price would to a large extent promote the cheapest technology (onshore wind and biomass), but we need to develop the currently less competitive technologies to achieve the 80% reductions in CO2 that are needed by 2050.” Kjaer noted there are a number of key dates in 2010 that could help the international community finally forge a legally binding agreement on reducing greenhouse gas emissions caused by burning fossil fuels. These include the 31 January deadline for nations to send in their pledges for the annexes to the Copenhagen Accord; whether proposed US legislation on climate change gets enacted and what it will look like; the June inter-sessional meeting of the Parties in Bonn; and the COP16 meeting in Mexico from 29 November to 10 December. “One can only hope that world leaders will come to understand the depth of both industry’s and people’s disappointment over their lack of collective political will and courage [in Copenhagen], and spend the next few months working together,” Kjaer said. “The worst thing that could happen is that they entirely abandon the UN process of reaching a new treaty on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.” WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 | interview | Industry can push climate change action Tulsi Tanti, the Chairman and Managing Director of Suzlon Energy, was in Copenhagen for the COP15 conference. He later answered questions about the conference posed by EWEA’s Chris Rose and talked about what should be done now. What was your initial reaction to the so-called Copenhagen Accord? And, has your opinion changed since the December conference? COP15 offered us a chance to act as one world towards a common goal. As the only global wind energy major from an emerging market, we understand the challenge both developing and developed countries are facing as they grapple with climate change. This is a global challenge with many local components. It needs to be tackled jointly. As COP15 did not deliver the agreement that is required to fight climate change in a concerted manner, it is now up to all stakeholders to push the agenda at upcoming forums. What needs to be done now so that a legally-binding international agreement on reducing greenhouse gases can be reached as soon as possible, perhaps in Mexico in December? Green is the buzzword but really cohesive strategies on resource optimisation and sustainability are still lacking. Since COP15 did not deliver an agreement that lays the groundwork for reaching emissions control targets globally, governments now need to regroup and keep pushing the agenda at every opportunity available. Furthermore, this is an opportunity for industry to come together and combat climate change by thinking smart, thinking laterally and providing realistic solutions that serve our needs. What can be done to bridge the differences in attitudes to climate change between countries at different stages of industrialisation? A large majority of the world’s populations lives in the developing nations. The future emissions potential from these countries is huge and no doubt need to be curbed but the cost needs to be shared by the world community. According to the Copenhagen Accord, the various representatives have agreed that developed countries will provide adequate, predictable and sustainable financial resources, technology and capacity-building to support the implementation of adaptation action in developing countries. What now remains to be seen is how this will play out – we need to see action. This challenge is a global challenge with many local components. And as we are equally affected by climate change, we need to come together to tackle it. What happens to the possibility of achieving a new, strengthened post-Kyoto treaty if President Obama cannot sign an international treaty because the US Senate blocks domestic climate change legislation? As mentioned earlier, it is the responsibility of each and every country to take the initiative to combat climate change. Should key countries opt out of a multilateral agreement indefinitely, it is up to these governments to unilaterally do their part – and up to industry to take charge and play a larger role. Development cannot be held hostage to politics. Where real political will is lacking, there is an opportunity for industry to come together and help define the agenda. We need to find ways to combat climate change by thinking smart, thinking laterally, and providing realistic solutions that serve our needs. What can ordinary citizens do to force positive change when it comes to the way the world uses energy and emits carbon? We cannot always rely on the government to Photo: Suzlon WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 37 | interview | Climate change will impact people all around the world “This is an opportunity for industry to come together and combat climate change by thinking smart, thinking laterally and providing realistic solutions that serve our needs.” 38 find solutions to all the problems. Climate change is a grave issue that will impact the lives of everyone in the future. Countries like Indonesia and Bangladesh are already seeing its impact. This issue will require all the stakeholders to come together and employ out-of-box thinking to find solutions. I firmly believe that we should tie in all stakeholders in the fight against climate change. One solution would be to raise a carbon tax from all citizens around the world who can afford it, to pay for investments in renewables, smart-grid and technology innovations. Do you think the world is capable of coming together in a new green energy revolution or will the old, business-as-usual approach continue unabated? This only reaffirms the urgency behind this effort. Energy needs will continue to rise and not only in developing countries, in developed countries as well. But the solution cannot be to slow down Photo: Keenpress Publishing/Sisse Brimberg & Cotton Coulson development; that is unrealistic. We need to find ways to combat climate change and I believe we can -- by thinking smart, thinking laterally and providing realistic solutions that serve our needs. A key part of the solution is to change the way we consume energy by moving our consumption patterns to renewable energies. Since onshore emissions-free wind power is already a proven success story, what role do you see wind power playing in the future? COP15 provided the wind sector with an excellent opportunity for growth and if the global community can come to an agreement, this can result in a great momentum in the industry. And the industry can help in this fight. For example, increasing the viability of wind energy would make it easier to achieve the emission reduction targets. R&D is the key to help achieve this and at Suzlon we invest 2-3% of revenues in R&D each year. WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 Benefit from the activities of the most powerful wind energy network EWEA is the voice of the wind industry, actively promoting the use of wind power in Europe and worldwide. It has over 600 members from more than 60 countries, including companies, research institutions Make the right connections and associations, making it the world’s largest and most powerful wind energy network. EWEA helps to create a better business environment for the entire wind industry. Get massive discounts Influence policy Obtain key information Raise your profile and visibility WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 For further information about EWEA activities, please visit www.ewea.org 39 Raise your profile among key wind industry players Advertise in Wind Directions, the European Wind Industry magazine Wind Directions is published by the European Wind Energy Association and read by 6,000 wind energy sector professionals, European institutions, local governments, academia and media. Wind Directions is mailed to over 60 countries including the EU 27, Australia, Canada, China, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Norway, Switzerland and the US. It is also distributed at all the major wind energy events. Upcoming issues in 2010*: April: Focus: Wind’s impact on power prices Minifocus: Where are the women in wind? June: Focus: Small wind Minifocus: EWEC 2010 September: Focus: Globalisation and Europe’s wind industry Minifocus: The National Renewable Energy Action Plans December: Focus: The new wind industry players Minifocus: Offshore grids BOOK YOUR ADS IN THE UPCOMING SPECIAL ISSUES See above *Subject to confirmation Join the leading companies in wind energy and advertise in WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 Wind Directions! ARE YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT OFFSHORE WIND? Offshore Project Engineer Glasgow How do we harness the power of the wind offshore for the cities onshore? Offshore Health and Safety Manager London Offshore Project Engineer Berlin Offshore Developer Berlin General Manager European Offshore London 40 E50001-W310-F117-X-4A00 The wind is at its strongest and most constant out at sea, so offshore wind farms deliver even more clean power. For more information on these positions, visit our Careers section at www.mainstreamrp.com We are. And we’re looking for people with flair, vision and a clear commitment to delivery, to join our existing Offshore Team. Mainstream Renewable Power was established in 2008 to develop, build and operate renewable energy plant in collaboration with strategic partners and we have almost 100 people working together in seven countries, spanning four continents. We have established our Offshore Centre of Excellence in London, where our highly experienced and dynamic team is dedicated to delivering our ambitious plans for offshore wind in Europe, including the Neart na Gaoithe project in Scotland and the Horizont project in Germany. Through our investment in supporting wind technician training in the UK, Mainstream is committed to driving the offshore wind sector by training skilled personnel to work offshore. We’re focused on delivering the bigger picture and our vision for a pan-European offshore supergrid is central to our offshore strategy. At the Øresund, off the Swedish coast, a revolution is taking place. In fact, hundreds of thousands of revolutions every day. Revolutions of wind turbine blades out at sea, away from the coast, where wind conditions are at their strongest. The Lillgrund wind farm – Sweden’s largest, operated by Vattenfall – provides clean and renewable power for 60,000 Swedish households. With 17 years of experience in offshore wind power, Siemens has the reliable technology to get the best out of offshore wind resources. www.siemens.com/energy If offshore wind is your passion and you want to be part of an exciting and entrepreneurial team, we are looking for exceptional people to fill positions in London, Glasgow and Berlin. Answers for energy. BERLIN – CAPE TOWN – CHICAGO – DUBLIN – LONDON – SANTIAGO – TORONTO www.mainstreamrp.com | EWEA news | EWEC 2010 programme now online Get active in 2010 and make a difference with the Koru Foundation From policy and markets to finance and economics, from resource and aerodynamics to grids, the European Wind Energy Conference (EWEC) 2010 programme is now online at www.ewec2010.info. EWEC will run from 20 to 23 April in Warsaw. It will include a wind energy finance forum where the latest financing issues will be discussed, and there will be numerous side events. On 19 April, the day before the conference begins, a Polish Day will be held, giving attendees the opportunity to participate in sessions dedicated to the Polish wind energy market. This year the Koru Foundation, EWEA’s chosen charity, is organising a series of challenge events in the UK to raise money for its work on tackling energy poverty and climate change in developing countries. So this year, why not get fit while doing something which makes a real difference to the lives of others? Photo: Graeme Cooper Register now and find out more at www.ewec2010.info. EWEA is active on the social networks Have a look for EWEA on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter and get all the latest updates on our activities as well as the hottest news from the wind industry. For more information: www.facebook.com; www.linkedin.com and www.twitter.com. London triathlon Come and participate in the largest triathlon in the world! You can either sign up as an individual or share the challenge of 750m swim, 20 km cycle and 5 km run with a team. Last year the event raised over €9,000 to replace paraffin lanterns used by refugees in Sierra Leone with clean and sustainable solar lamps. EWEA Chief Operating Officer Bruce Douglas has already signed up for the individual challenge and there are only 20 places available – so sign up now! Running4renewables Running4renewables is a fundraising initiative set up by Daniel Rafferty, Project Developer at Scottish based wind farm developer Vento Ludens, who are the main sponsors of the event. The aim is to get 50 runners to participate in events across the UK, culminating in the Edinburgh Marathon on 23 May and raise £35,000 (€40,000) to fund a Koru renewable energy project. Many brave EWEA members have already signed up from Natural Power, AWS Ocean Energy, and Scottish Renewables amongst others. Koru’s great north walk If running isn’t your cup of tea, then how about a walk in beautiful countryside? Teams of four will cover over 50 miles in 24 hours in the Lake District from 10–12 September with camping, catering and bar facilities provided. The Koru Foundation can support you with a fundraising pack and help you set up an online fundraising page. So what are you waiting for? If you are passionate about renewables and making a real difference to people’s lives, sign up for one of these challenges on www.korufoundation.org/get-involved/ fundraising-event now! Alternatively, contact Tahel on tel: 00 44 (0) 1273 606 685 or tahel@korufoundation.org. Wind industry conference devoted to grids – dates confirmed Majority of 2011 exhibitions sold out 60% of both the EWEC 2011 and Offshore Conference 2011 exhibitions are now sold out. Extra space will soon be added to cater for the high demand for a spot on the exhibition floor next year. For more information: www.ewec2011.info; www.offshorewind2011.info WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 From 23-24 November, the ‘Grids 2010’ conference will take place in Berlin to explore the financial, issues that will shape the development of a grid that meets Europe’s energy, consumer and climate needs. The event is supported by the German Wind Energy Association (BWE), VDMA Power Systems – the German Wind Turbine Manufacturers’ Association, and the European body of transmission system operators (ENTSO-E). Sponsorship deals are available – contact Christi Newman on cn@ewea. org or tel. + 32 2 400 1056. For more information: www.ewea.org/grids2010. 41 | interview | No peace of mind Kumi Naidoo, the new International Executive Director of Greenpeace, attended the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen in December. Also the chair of the Global Coalition for Climate Action and a co-chair of the Global Call to Action Against Poverty, Naidoo responded to questions posed by Chris Rose. Photo: Greenpeace/Marco Okhuizen What was your reaction to COP15 and the so-called Copenhagen Accord. What we can learn from it to achieve a legally-binding agreement at the next major UN climate change conference scheduled for Mexico City in November 2010? The Copenhagen climate summit was a monumental failure by world leaders. They let the chance of a fair, ambitious and legally binding agreement slip through their fingers. Virtually all of them share in the blame, acting as they did out of self-interest. Leaders failed to listen to the millions of people who have been clamouring for action against climate change. Greenpeace does not consider the Copenhagen Accord to be an important step forward and is not calling upon countries to sign on to it. It is a political declaration that is desperately lacking in substance. It was ‘noted’ but not adopted by the summit. It is not legally binding and must not be allowed to stand in the way of further international climate negotiations. Work must continue to conclude a fair, ambitious and legally binding agreement treaty at November’s UN climate conference in Mexico City. The job is far from done. While the Accord’s objective is to hold increases in global temperature to below 2°C, current emission commitments will lead to warming of at least 3°C. Warming beyond 2°C risks triggering catastrophic climate change. Realistically, the Accord is only relevant if it somehow forces industrialised nations to up their commitments to ensure the planet remains well under this 2°C ceiling. Otherwise, the Accord is a distraction. It might even be termed a hand grenade lobbed into the multilateral process. 42 As a matter of urgency, we have to push political leaders to up their game in reducing developed nations’ emissions and restraining emissions growth in developing countries. We need to see these increased pledges early this year, in advance of UN climate talks in May. This is vital to regaining momentum and finally closing the deal in Mexico City. The renewable energy industry did not get the positive sign it needed from the Copenhagen climate summit. It was a missed opportunity for creating new jobs, particularly in least developed countries. The good news, however, is that the industry has undergone enormous development over the past decade in the absence of any legally binding framework extending beyond the Kyoto Protocol. Wind and solar technologies are already competitive in some countries and will continue to gain ground in others. Far from being a ‘burden’, renewable energy is a sound business opportunity that makes countries less dependent on fossil and nuclear fuel imports. Politicians have to realise that renewables are no longer expensive. Hopefully, this will increase acceptance of larger cuts in greenhouse gas emissions. The right to develop is the right to access energy. That has nothing to do with the ‘right to pollute’. What are the current obstacles to getting a new, strengthened post-Kyoto agreement on reducing lethal greenhouse gases? First of all, the Kyoto Protocol does not end, and what we need is agreement on both a second commitment period of the Protocol, post-2012, and a new Protocol covering the commitments of those countries not yet having a Kyoto target. All we need to achieve such a legally binding agreement is political will. We need a clear sign from political leaders in industrialised countries that they are willing to take ambitious and fair WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 Photo: Greenpeace/Shayne Robinson | interview | measures to reduce their emissions by 40% by 2020 and to help developing countries to adapt to climate change by limiting their emissions growth by at least 15% by 2020, and protect their forests. It is clear that in order to avoid dangerous climate change we need action from both developed and developing countries, although our expectations from them are very different. We expect industrialised countries to take the lead and develop a trust-building package in the runup to Mexico. Such a package needs to reassure developing countries that industrialised nations; a) do want to keep a clear distinction between what is expected from developed countries (i.e. economy-wide reduction targets) and developing countries (i.e. nationally appropriate actions); b) will provide new, additional, stable and substantial funding for developing countries; and c) are willing to take up the ambitious action needed to prevent dangerous climate change. How do you see the European Union’s role in bridging a new agreement? Europe has an important role to play in this trust-building process and should immediately launch a trust-building package. The EU should indicate not only its support for a continuation of the Kyoto Protocol but also its willingness to provide €35 billion a year for developing country action. It should shift its emission reduction target from the range 20-30% to 30-40%, take on a 30% reduction unilaterally and offer a 40% reduction if and when other governments engage in a legally binding agreement in Mexico. Studies show that innovations, on the one hand, and the economic crisis, on the other, mean it will cost the EU as much to reduce emissions by 30% as was estimated to achieve 20% cuts at the time the EU climate and energy package was decided on. WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 An Earthlife Africa and Greenpeace rally in Johannesburg, calling for a fair and just climate agreement at COP15 In addition to continuing to provide increasing amounts of rapidly-deployable, emissions-free electricity, what role do you see the wind industry playing prior to the next UN climate change conference? Greenpeace would dearly like to see the wind energy industry adopt an even more active role in lobbying for a sustainable future, in the way that we would like any industry to. For too long polluters have lobbied to continue polluting, while the good guys have sat on their hands. That is why we were encouraged to see IT companies like Dell calling for progress in Copenhagen and companies like Excelon, PG&E and PNM pulling re“Renewable energy is a sound sources out of the US Chamber of Commerce. business opportunity that makes They no longer wanted countries less dependent on to fund denial of climate change. fossil and nuclear fuel imports. Wind power has Politicians have to realise enjoyed an average annual growth rate of that renewables are no longer about 30% in the past expensive.” decade. In many regions of the world, it is competitive with conventional fuels. Wind energy will remain the single most important technology for combating climate change in the coming years and will be joined by the solar industry well before 2020. For instance, concentrated solar power for countries in sunbelt regions - including many developing countries. This source of renewable power is now in a position to deliver industrial scale electricity 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and make a direct contribution to poverty alleviation and economic development. We all have a stake in a sustainable future. Smart businesses know that a ‘climate crash’ will make the financial crash look like a walk in the park. 43 | mini focus | Standing up for the future A self-confessed wind aficionado, Arthouros Zervos finds himself at the epicentre of humankind’s greatest dilemma: how to quickly de-carbonise our inefficient energy sector in order to halt the worst of global warming? Academia in Athens They sit attentively, the 12 Masters students who are listening to Professor Arthouros Zervos review the main elements of the wind specialisation course work he has been teaching them the last few months. In the nearly three-hour lecture, there is little fidgeting as Zervos, an acknowledged international expert in wind power, shares with the students his vision of a world no longer threatened by the destructive carnage of global warming. Yet that healthier vision can become a reality, he tells them repeatedly, because the technology required to harness wind power already exists commercially and other renewable energies are quickly following. “It is possible to go in a different way,” says Zervos, who teaches this class in English and three others to undergraduates in Greek. “It is possible, it is feasible.” Using a Powerpoint presentation, he confidently leads the students through the story of wind, from tax breaks to local production, turbine size By Chris Rose Photos: EWEA/Diamantakis to climate change, regional players to global juggernauts, from onshore to offshore, from Europe to the US to Asia, from utility companies to wind farm developers to national grids, from the past to the future. Throughout his presentation, Zervos mixes the technical with the political, compares national interests to personal choice, and continually comes back to the pressing issue of climate change. “How do you exact meaningful change in a relatively short period of time?” asks the 57-year-old bespectacled visionary with distinguished grey hair. A number of times he returns to his central theme: man-made greenhouse gases have been heating up the atmosphere to dangerous levels since the Industrial Revolution 150 years ago; these gases and the accompanying temperature increase have to stabilise in the next decade and then begin to decrease; wind power is the renewable best placed to quickly help heal the planet. “It’s a question of time. How much can you achieve by 2020? It’s going to be more and more evident that wind is going to be the easiest to [implement] in terms of large numbers.” Zervos’ lecture is a variation of the message he delivers to politicians and industry leaders in his frequent travels around Europe and the world. Simply put, as the world begins to de-carbonise and abandons its tragic love affair with polluting fossil fuels, wind power and other renewables will undeniably take centre stage. They are, after all, the only option. Moving on to new challenges Professor Zervos at work in an Athens classroom 44 In addition to being a professor, Zervos is also President of EWEA, and has just recently been appointed President and CEO of Greece’s Public Power Corp, the country’s biggest company. With Zervos at the helm, Greece hopes to raise renewable energy output and has plans to produce 20% of its energy from green sources by 2020, up from the current level of 3%. WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 | mini focus | Zervos has been involved with with wind energy for many years While not one of the initial founders of the wind power industry, Zervos was a committed and passionate pioneer in the sector dating back to the early 1980s. Despite embracing the entire renewables sector, Zervos is at heart still in love with the wind. “I’m a wind guy. Of course I’m fighting for all renewables but I remain a wind person.” Mechtild Rothe,Vice-President of the European Parliament, is laudatory about the pivotal role Zervos has played in promoting the use of wind power and other renewables. “Thanks to his outstanding commitment and his professional and personal dedication, Arthouros Zervos is one of the key drivers for the successful development of renewable energy sources in Europe,” Rothe said. Christian Kjaer, Chief Executive of EWEA, said Zervos has single-handedly had the most influence on the development of renewable energy in Europe and the world. “Our [wind industry] sector would certainly be at an earlier stage of development – in terms of market size, technology development, policy and international scope – had his life taken him down a different route after graduation,” said Kjaer. “The European Union can seem like an awfully big thing to turn around. Arthouros has a strong belief that, in the end, it is about people. He believes that a single person can change the course of history, regardless of whether that person is European Energy Commissioner or an assistant in the Parliament. If you can find and convince that person, you can change the world. Arthouros has already changed the world.” Steve Sawyer, the Secretary General of the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), said he can’t WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 Deep in conversation with Wind Directions’ Chris Rose remember a time when Zervos was not a key leader in the renewable energy movement. “I’ve been in and around renewable energy for 30 years now, and I don’t believe that there is anyone else that combines his academic and technical background, policy experience and expertise, close contact with the ‘business’ end of things,” said Sawyer, adding he believes “‘Arthouros believes that a single Zervos, who is Chairman of GWEC, is unique conperson can change the course sidering his combination of history, regardless of whether of skills and experience. “At the same time, that person is European Energy he has played a key Commissioner or an assistant in leadership role in building up the trade assothe Parliament. Arthouros has ciations across Europe already changed the world.’” and internationally. He’s truly ‘one of a kind’, which in this case I believe to be literally true.” Christine Lins, Secretary General of the European Renewable Energy Council (EREC), of which Zervos is also President, concurred. “I’ve enjoyed the privilege of working with Arthouros for more than eight years and am always impressed by his vision, his diplomatic skills, the sharpness of his analysis as well as his commitment to making this world a better place to be.” Lins described Zervos’ enthusiasm for renewables as contagious. “With his vision, Arthouros guided EREC and its members from its first steps in formulating a common message for all renewables to articulating a strong voice of an industry sector, which today in Europe alone employs more than 450,000 people and has an annual turnover of €45 billion.” 45 | mini focus | The professor’s office Growing up in Greece On the way to his office after the university lecture, Zervos passes by his silver Toyota Prius, the car that commercially perfected for the automotive sector the environmentally-benign hybrid engine technology. As if to demonstrate that he doesn’t take himself too seriously, he notes with a smile that his trusty Prius cancels out the emissions from his often present Marlboro cigarettes. His office is typical of those inhabited by university professors around the world. Bookshelves bend under the weight of far too many publications. Posters, many of them with his name on them, adorn what little wall space is left. A bank of windows looks out onto the campus and a sloping hillside of Athens. A somewhat cantilevering pile of papers, journals, and reports dominate Zervos’ desk. A small desk for a secretarial assistant and a long table for discussions take up much of the remaining room. His two mobile phones and the land line keep him connected to a globe-trotting life that involves far too many sterile airport lounges. While he is at ease in the computerised Internet world, he prefers the simplicity, immediacy and intimacy provided by telephone communication. It also allows him to exercise his unmistakably deep and gravelly baritone voice. During an interview in his office, he recalls his childhood spent on the island of Corfu in western Greece. His time was divided between Corfu City and a village 40 kilometres away where the family 46 had a home and business, mostly to do with olive oil. His mother looked after and cared for the family, which included an older brother, while his father worked. He describes his upbringing as being middle-class for the time, but notes that Greece was then for the most part a developing nation still recovering from the twin hardships of the Depression and the Second World War. The war had especially bad memories for his father, who was imprisoned in Italy, first by Italians invading Greece and then by the Germans. Late in the war, his father was also imprisoned by the independent Greeks, in Libya, for his strong leftist tendencies. That same ideology later got him detained again briefly by the Greek authorities during the seven-year military dictatorship which began in the late 1960s. For his part, Zervos said his father’s imprisonments taught him the importance of not being afraid to stand up for what you believe in. He remembers his formative years on Corfu, which was before the island was forever altered by international tourism, as being mostly sunny and often breezy. Like many of the island boys, he divided his time between swimming, football, fishing and bird hunting. He also played cricket, a hold-over from British rule of the Ionian Islands between 1815 and 1864. He recalls doing well academically during his high school years, but he didn’t particularly enjoy his time spent in classrooms. “I don’t think WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 | mini focus | there is any kid that really likes school,” he said laughing. “I was much happier when I didn’t have school.” Whatever he felt about the merits of his primary and secondary years, his curiosity, ingenuity, discipline, intellectualism and tenacity went into overdrive when he became a university student. The smiling Greek boy from a sleepy small town had entered a different dimension, and, armed with continually excellent marks, there would be no stopping him. Making the grade Equipped with a scholarship from the AngloAmerican-Hellenic Bureau of Education, Zervos started his university courses at the School of Engineering of the City University of New York. After two years, he received another scholarship, this time from prestigious Princeton University, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree, with distinction, in 1974. The following year, as a graduate student still at Princeton, he received his Master of Science in Engineering. He completed his military service in the Greek army during 1976-77, a duty he says was quite boring with uneventful postings to out-of-the-way bases throughout the country. His duty done, he resumed his graduate studies in Paris at the Université Pierre et Marie Curie, with the aid of a scholarship from the French government. He received in 1978 the degree Diplome d’Etudes Approfondies in Experimental Fluid MechanicsAerodynamics. Three years later, he received his doctorate degree after defending his thesis on the numerical calculations of fish propulsion. In 1982, he became a faculty member of the School of Mechanical Engineering of the National Technical University of Athens, a position he still holds. It was there that he began to develop his then fledging interest in energy and wind power. “At that time, there were very few people interested in wind at the academic level,” he recalled, adding an accompanying exploration of other forms of renewable energies was soon to follow. Navigating global conundrums In addition to being President of EWEA since 2002, Zervos has also been President of EREC since 2000 and Chairman of GWEC since 2005. The headquarters for all three non-profit organisations is in Brussels at the Renewable Energy House, a 140-year-old building that was renovated to minimise energy consumption while integrating renewable energy technologies. With his new position in Athens, some of his duties in Brussels may well have to change. WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 Asked how he has been able to fulfil all three positions while still teaching in Athens, plus all that travelling (he estimated that one year he was away from for Athens for six months), Zervos breaks out into one of his throaty laughs. “It’s an impossible task so I give the emphasis to one or the other depending on the period.” Being able to focus on what is most important and deciding when something needs to be done are disciplines that have helped Zervos contribute considerably to government, research, industry and academia. His most recent CV shows he has published more than 130 papers in scientific and technical journals, books and conference proceedings. He has been the author, co-author, editor, contributor or coordinator of 50 publications. He has been chairman of seven international conferences, made presentations at 220 conferences, and been a member of the organising or steering committees of 60 international conferences and 25 scientific committees, led 76 research “Ten years ago people were saying and development, demonstration, disthat renewables are marginal semination and training and the energy game is played projects funded by the European Commission elsewhere. But now the other and the Greek governsectors feel this competition very ment. In addition to his work with the European strongly; that renewables are Commission, he has taking a piece of the pie.” been a policy advisor to the Greek environment ministry, the Republic of Cyprus and the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development. Fluent in four languages, he is currently lead author for wind energy in the upcoming Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report on renewable energies. Bringing it all together In 1990, Zervos took a leave of absence from his university position and became Scientific Officer at the Renewable Energy Division of the DirectorateGeneral for Science, Research and Development, of the European Commission in Brussels. While there, he was responsible for overseeing the Research and Development activities of all renewable energy technologies in the European Union. The work that he is most proud of while at the EC involved managing the Large Wind Turbine programme, which promoted the possibility of the wind power industry becoming more successful by switching from 300 to 400 kW machines to 1 MW turbines and bigger. 47 | mini focus | “The idea was to persuade the major manufacturers to go into the design and production of the larger machines, but at first they were very, very reluctant,” Zervos said, adding that the first generation of MW machines which came out of the programme supported the industry to take the economic risk and start making larger turbines. The mantra of the industry today is, of course, bigger is better, especially offshore. (The European onshore wind power industry average turbine size now is 1.7 MW; offshore turbines are 3 MW). Zervos and his trusty Prius By 1996, Zervos had left the Commission and returned to university life in Athens. By then, however, he was increasingly becoming involved in the policy aspects of wind power and other renewables. This in turn led to national and international association politics, board elections, additional responsibilities. Like the renewable energies he so ardently supported, the guiding hand of Zervos was increasingly in demand. Faith in his skyrocketing reputation next saw him being appointed in 1997 the lead author of the White Paper for Renewable Sources of Energy, the EC’s first policy document on renewables. The White Paper, according to Zervos, produced for the first time sectoral and overall targets at the European level. It also described the need for the Renewable Energy Electricity Directive and for the Biofuels for Transport Directive, recognised as the most powerful pieces of renewable energy legislation in the world. 48 Out of that paper, Zervos said, it became obvious the renewables sector had to unite if it was to be successful in helping change society’s approach to energy consumption. Proud of his part in helping create EREC, Zervos said initially it was not easy bringing together the sector, which suffered at first from competition between members and misunderstandings. “It became clear that the renewables sector had to be represented with one voice if we wanted to be effective.” He recalls that, while becoming established, wind power and other renewables also had to deal with tension and indirect attacks from the traditional energy sectors. “Ten years ago people were saying that renewables are marginal and the energy game is played elsewhere. The attitude was more or less to ignore renewables and criticise the politicians; that [renewables] were marginal and were going to remain marginal. “But now the other sectors feel this competition very strongly; that renewables are taking a piece of the pie.” Looking pleased at the turn of events, Zervos adds, diplomatically: “Now the big players play both sides.” And, just like he told his students, he notes the real competition in the political-energy arena now is the choice society makes for the future as de-carbonisation of the power sector begins. He reiterates that while many renewables will be part of the traditional power sector by 2050, when Earth is expected to support a population of nine billion people, only wind energy has the technological maturity to significantly replace greenhouse gas emissions in the next 10 years. Now, wind is pivotal. Solar will become huge, he predicted, but it is probably a decade behind wind power in its development trajectory. CCS, or carbon capture and storage, may work one day, he says, but not in time for climate scientists who want CO2 levels to stabilise by 2015 and begin to decrease by 2020. Lastly, he adds any new nuclear power plant would also be too late since it would take about 15 years from planning to completion. “If we don’t manage to do this in the next two decades, to counter attack [climate change], then we’re entering a very grey zone of what the future could be.” Despite his note of caution, Zervos says he is hopeful for both humankind and wind power. “I believe that we will [succeed]. I don’t feel the human race is so destructive. The question is: when do we feel the urgency of that and will we act in time? But I am optimistic we will pull it off.” WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 H:9ECF;DI7J?EDJM>M?D:;D;H=O B?J>?KC#?EDIFHEJEJOF;@7JHEF>7 @79A;JC?AHECEHF>8EJJB;D;9A EDI>EH;>O:HEFEM;H+CM97:C?KC 7FFH;DJ?9;I>?F9ED9;DJH7JEH9E( EF;H7J?ED7B9KHH;DJ9EEB?D==H?:9E:; C7?DJ;D7D9;8JBCKBJ?9HOIJ7BB?D;<;HC;DJ;H 9;BBKBEI;E<<I>EH;9>FF;H<EHC7D9;JH?FE: B?=>JD?D=FHEJ;9J?ED>L:9FH;II97A;<KD:?D= 9;HJ?<?97J;I<H;GK;D9O9CI9;EC;9>7JHED?9I '%Ä'(6eg^a!LVghVl i]I&%%!GZ\^higVi^dc6gZV ;D=?D;;H9B?C7J;9>7D=;8?E<K;BIM?J9>?D=KD?J 7dd L_i_jki H7MC7J;H?7BI=?7DJI;C?II?EDJH7:?D=>O8H?: I[[\khj^[h _d\ehcWj_edWj o$_d\e mmm$d[m[d[h] D;M;D;H=OD;;:;:5 9ekdjhocWha[ji , ^hV`ZnhdjgXZd[^c[dgbVi^dcVWdjii]Z^ciZgcVi^dcVa gZcZlVWaZZcZg\nbVg`Zi!egdk^Y^c\^ch^\]icdidcanidegd[Zhh^dcVa deZgVidgh!eaVcc^c\^chi^iji^dchVcYbVcj[VXijgZgh!WjiVahdidVaa WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 [g^ZcYhVcYhjeedgiZghd[gZcZlVWaZZcZg\nhdjgXZh# /8VcVYVqH^ZbZchHdaVgq> 8VgWdcY^Ziq8a^bViZ/J#H#q8a^bViZ/6jhigVa^Vq8a^bViZ ckZgiZghq<gZZcXdVa :C:G<:I>8!8DCI:BEDG6GN!8JII>C<:9<:Ä I=:B6<6O>C:;DGG:C:L67A::C:G<N No. 6 / December 2009 65570 Sweden energizes biomass and wind power but falls short of radical reform. 8ki_d[ii Special loans breathe life into European wind farms, even during the crisis. IebWhfem[h China pulled a fast one, and now German PV companies have to respond. FAST ING FOR THE CLIM ATE =dlXVclZi^\]iZc djgXVgWdcWZaih4 lll#cZlZcZg\n#^c[d49 | interview | Research, industry, finance sector and NGOs must unite to fight for real climate legislation Stephan Singer is Director of Global Energy Policy for WWF International. He answered questions put to him by Chris Rose. Photo: WWF E.Scagnetti “We need a very comprehensive and large media offensive in almost all nations by all those who have an interest in clean development.” What was your reaction to the so-called Copenhagen Accord agreement reached at COP15? Many of us in the global NGO community had been seriously disappointed – it was much below our own ‘worst case’ scenario. We could not believe that after two years of rather intense negotiations on UN level, after substantive involvement of many ministers and even head of states and after so many public actions on and attention to the urgency of climate change such a vague document was the more or less only outcome to address one key problem of mankind and nature. However, we also believe that although that document is not legally binding and omits many necessities, some of its very rudimentary and ambiguous text contains agreements that should not be dismissed. It’s the first time that major developing countries agreed to substantially reduce emissions and embark on low carbon actions and clean energy policies. Although the Accord is lacking any target proposal by governments, some of those will come in by the next weeks and months. The overall limit to reduce temperature increase to below 2°C signed by the major polluters from rich and developing nations will have huge implications on reductions of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. It also provides a fund of $US 100 bn for poor nations annually by 2020 to combat deforestation, supplement clean energy solution and help adapt to climate change. This is not as much as we wanted and what we are still fighting for – but this is not an agreement that will allow the laggards both in industries and governments to postpone investments in clean and efficient energies, forest protection and industrial re-structuring. What needs to be done so that a legally-binding international agreement on reducing greenhouse gases can be reached as soon as possible, perhaps in Mexico in December? First, in the Accord the vaguely agreed funding 50 mechanisms and the other proposed mechanisms on technology transfer and combating deforestation need to be operationalised very soon. Second, governments as a bare minimum need to put down in the Accord their emission reduction pledges. Third, governments need to explain as to how their pledges – and assuming those are identical with those announced in the weeks and months prior to Copenhagen – will meet the 2°C objective in the Accord. We know they don’t. And we need to close those loopholes with additional regional and global polices including early phase-out of fossil fuel subsidies, banning of the F-gases, feedin tariffs for renewables, inclusion of rapidly rising aviation and maritime greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in a global sectoral agreement etc. Fourth, governments need to continue the work on the Kyoto Protocol and the Convention track. Overall, governments must work on all fronts and in all meetings to secure what is in the texts already. Although there is no alternative to the UN system, other meetings and other actors such as businesses, the IEA, financial institutions, regional and bilateral agreements shall all be used to supplement – not replace – a finally legally-binding UN treaty in Mexico at end of year. However, we face a fundamental dilemma almost everywhere. There is the deep-sitting and prevailing suspicion by most governments and industries that cutting carbon substantively and very soon is still very uneconomic. We need a very comprehensive and large media offensive in almost all nations by all those who have an interest in clean development. It’s time for a coalition of the many researchers, industries, financial institutions and NGOs which all should overcome their specific interests and unite publicly. What should the EU do this year to make sure there is a successful conclusion in Mexico? The EU must immediately go to a 40% unilateral GHG reduction commitment by 2020 and ditch WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 | interview | the ‘20% option’ which is not in line with staying below the 2°C warming and which would actually slow the observed speed of emissions reductions in the EU since 1990 until today. It also needs to reduce its high dependence on dubious offsets, make sure that at least 30% emissions reductions occur domestically and mobilise substantive funds for helping poor nations to combat deforestation, adapt to climate change and foster clean energy solutions. The EU needs also agree on an Emissions Performance Standard for CO2 and similar to all other pollutants for all new and existing power stations to stop conventional coal and gas. The EU ETS has not delivered on this one so far. Also, it needs to agree on a legally-binding target to save energy by 20% at least by 2020. It remains a joke that the most cost-effective and low-hanging fruits of energy efficiency potentials are not covered by binding EU legislation. hydrogen-based power storage capacities that will be used to fuel ships, lorries and even planes? It’s all the power of wind! What will it take for citizens to realise that they have to change, and quickly, if humankind is to avert the worst of global warming? Lifestyle changes have to play a large role in a fully decarbonised world. Putting on safety belts is compulsory in all cars. We accept that in the name of our own safety. Why not banning gasguzzling SUV’s? Many regions have low-energy building requirements for new houses. Why not make that a legally-binding standard? Many countries in the world have strong air pollution standards to reduce sulphur, heavy metals and smog from large industrial installations such as coal-fired power stations. We accept that from health reasons. Why not supporting strong CO2emissions standards as well? No more conventional coal. Full stop. What can be done to bridge the differences in attitudes to climate change between countries at different stages of industrialisation? This divide can be overcome. And it is not as deep as some may perceive. We need a policy in rich nations and in emerging economies that bundles in a clever way economic, jobs and energy security concerns, fossil fuel price volatility and climate security needs with enhanced investment provisions for the financial sector. This can be complemented by ‘green and low-tax free trade’ zones. Yet, this is not enough as some of the needed climate policy is beyond ‘simple’ economic effectiveness. Equity and fairness require strong investment in climate adaptation for poor communities and fragile ecosystems. Wind power is already a proven technology that is rapidly deployable and a healthy and dependable energy source in the fight against climate change, do you see it as becoming even more important? Definitely. Wind power is THE renewable energy success story. It is amazing: bringing specific installation costs down by >50% in last 10 years, enjoying annual growth rates of up to 30% globally and expanding in markets like US, China and India very fast. Let us look into the future. Offshore wind is the way to go. Indeed, wind power is likely to become the largest renewable power source within two decades or so. In the EU alone, which power source is able to contribute the lion’s share to the 20% renewable energy target in ten years time that probably requires more than 30% renewable electricity. Which power source can provide the backbone for a renewable-powered electric car fleet, and the WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 Photo: Fotolia Freedom to pollute or even being allowed to pay to pollute is unjust and benefits the rich on the expenses of the poor and those who suffer. If we want a 100% global renewable energy system by 2050, we have to go down the route of strengthened legislation – to the detriment of a few, but to the benefit of the most. This is not about Burden Sharing; global, regional and individual action is about Benefit Sharing. 51 | new members | EWEA welcomes new members Actiflow BV (Netherlands) Actiflow is an engineering company: we offer aero consulting (aerodynamics, fluid flows, ventilation & air conditioning, fire & smoke, etc) and design engineering (the conceptual design and basic engineering of hightech products, including prototyping and testing). www.actiflow.com Ammonit Gesellschaft für Messtechnik mbH (Germany) www.ammonit.com ArcelorMittal Ringmill (Belgium) A subsidiary of the ArcelorMittal group, ArcelorMittal Ringmill specialises in ring rolled products. Our rings are mainly used by gearboxes and large bearings manufacturers. www.arcelormittal.com AREVA R. (France) www.areva.com ASOCIATIA EOLIANA ROMANA AERO (Romania) This association is creating a platform for promoting, strengthening and defending the rights of its members and third-party renewable energy especially wind. www.asociatiaeoliana.ro Baumer Management Services AG (Switzerland) The Baumer Group is a leading international manufacturer of sensors and system solutions for factory and process automation. In 2009 the innovative familyowned company employed about 2,000 people in 18 countries worldwide. www.baumer.com David Brown Gear Systems Limited (United Kingdom) David Brown is a manufacturer of engineering products. Our dedicated Wind Energy Team are on hand to repair and upgrade gearboxes for onshore and offshore wind turbines, providing spare parts, minimising down time and reducing costs. www.davidbrown.com DeWind Europe GmbH (Germany) www.dewindco.com Du Pont Iberica, SL (Spain) DuPont creates sustainable solutions essential to a better, safer, healthier life, including agriculture, nutrition, electronics, communications; home and construction, transportation and apparel. www.dupont.com Drydocks World – Southeast Asia Pte. Ldt. (Singapore) Drydocks World – Southeast Asia has four shipyards in Singapore and Indonesia. We have built four wind turbine installation units and are building a Jack-Up Construction Vessel and a modified MSC Gusto NG 9000C-HPE installation vessel. www.drydocks-sea.com 52 Endowed Chair for Wind Energy (SWE) (Germany) www.ifb.uni-stuttgart.de Korea Inst. of Mach & Mat’ls (Korea) www.kims.re.kr ERM Environmental Resources Management (United Kingdom) www.erm.com Leitwind AG (Italy) www.leitwind.com Falck Nutec (Denmark) Falck Nutec is a leading provider of safety training and offshore services. We provide training for the oil & gas industry, renewable energy industry, shipping companies, military defence units and aviation industry worldwide, and offer consultancy within safety and other areas. www.falcknutec.com Fuhrländer AG (Germany) www.fuhrlaender.de Gerber Technology (Belgium) Gerber Technology manufactures integrated software and hardware automation systems for the flexible materials industries. We offer specialised software and cutting systems and provide complete turnkey solutions and associated services. www.gerbertechnology.com Global Energy Services Siema, SA (Spain) www.services-ges.com Global Marine Systems (United Kingdom) Global Marine Systems is the market leader for the cabling element of offshore wind farms, array & export cables to shore. www.globalmarinesystems.com Gyeongnam Technopark – Green Energy Centre (Korea) Our vision: construction of a global networking hub for technical innovation. Strategy: technical advancement of Gyeongnam’s four strategic industries and cultivation of new growth power industries. www.gntp.or.kr HSH Nordbank AG (Germany) www.hsh-nordbank.de ITW Performance Polymers (UK) A group of ITW companies producing performance polymers (i.e. adhesives, coatings, mould releases, cleaners, repair & maintenance products) to provide innovative solutions for wind turbine OEMs, contractors and owners. www.itwppe.eu Jens Chr. Siig Int.Transport-Production-Wind Energy (Poland) International transport: fleet of trucks, semi-trailers & trailers, pilot vehicles and specialised saddle sets for over-normative loads (over-gabarits). Steel production division: manufacturing of wind turbine elements. www.int-transport.pl Limpet Technology Limited (UK) Limpet Technology pioneers total safety for those working at height in the wind energy sector. We’ve developed The Limpet™ – the world’s first multi-functional height safety system – combining Fall Prevention, Intelligent Climb Assist™, Remote Rescue, Clip and Go Evacuation and Work Positioning. www.limpettechnology.com Maxwind Technology Co.,Ltd (China) Maxwind Technology Co., Ltd is located 150 kilometres from Shanghai and is a professional small and medium sized wind turbine manufacturer with advanced wind turbine technology. Our products have obtained the CE certificate. www.maxwind.cc McGregor & Partners (Bulgaria) www.mcgregorlegal.eu MCT Brattberg AB (Sweden) MCT Brattberg AB invented the original watertight and fireproof cable and pipe transistor harsh environments and produces transits for offshore and onshore applications such as Horns Rev 2, Sheringham Shoal, Greater Gabbard and Walney. www.mctbrattberg.se Meteodyn (France) Meteodyn is an engineering department dedicated to wind flow computation. We offer consultancy services, dedicated CFD software (WT, TopoWind, UrbaWind, TransAT) with application to wind-power, high speed railways wind safety, construction design. www.meteodyn.com Nass & Wind (France) www.nass-et-wind.com New World Energy Enterprises Limited (Ireland) Wind Energy Progression www.nwes.ie Nordic Wind Solutions AB (Sweden) www.nwsab.com NORTHERN OFFSHORE SERVICES AB (Sweden) www.n-o-s.se ORMAZABAL INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS (Spain) www.ormazabal.com Pemamek OY (Finland) www.pemamek.com WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 | new members | Power Composites Holland BV io (Netherlands) Power Composites engineers mould systems, rotor blade design and production of prototype sets, test blades with certification services and transfer of manufacturing technology and the serial manufacturing and supply of rotor blades. www.powercomposites.eu Power@Sea NV (Belgium) Power@Sea provides complete solutions from project development and financial, and project realisation to long term offshore manufacture in order to guarantee sustainable production and green electricity. www.poweratsea.com Powernet Oy (Finland) www.powernet.fi Pure Energy Professionals Limited (UK) Pure Energy Professionals helps investors and companies evaluate projects and portfolios. Our experience extends to helping access public markets. For corporate finance advice we have a subsidiary authorised by the Financial Services Authority, Pure Energy Ventures Ltd. www.peprenewables.com WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 R.G. Renovatio Group Limited (Cyprus) www.renovationpower.com Romanian Wind Energy Association (Romania) www.rwea.ro Savino del Bene Global Logistics and Forwarding Company (Italy) www.savinodelbene.com Svendborg Brakes A/S (Germany) www.svendborg-brakes.com VISTAGY (US) VISTAGY, Inc. provides engineering software and consulting services that optimise product development processes by enhancing commercial 3D CAD systems. We provide industry-specific solutions. www.vistagy.com VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland (Finland) www.vtt.fi Windcomm Schleswig-Holstein (Germany) Windcomm Schleswig-Holstein is a wind energy network agency, acting as a partner for companies and organisations that specialise in this field or wish to enter the wind energy business. www.windcomm.de WindSim AS (Norway) WindSim pioneered the use of CFD technology to optimise wind turbine placement. WindSim software is based on Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) that combines advanced numeric processing with compelling 3D visualisation in a user-friendly interface. www.windsim.com Windstar (Italy) www.wind-star.it Zentrum für Sonnenenergie- und WasserstoffForschung Baden-Württemberg (ZSW) (Germany) The ZSW is one of the most renowned German research institutes in the fields of photovoltaics, energy system analysis, renewable fuels, battery technology and fuel cells. www.zsw-bw.de 53 Advertising booking form : , 1 ' ' , 5 ( & 7 , 2 1 6 Fax to: +32 2 546 1944 or Post to: EWEA, Rue d’Arlon, 63-65, B-1040 Brussels, Belgium Yes, I would like to advertise in Wind Directions. 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You must send the digital copy with a printed version and indicate “Wind Directions” and the Issue the advert is intended for. 54 For more information on advertising, please contact: Christi Newman, Sales Manager European Wind Energy Association asbl Rue d’Arlon, 63-65, B-1040 Brussels, Belgium Tel.: +32 2 400 1056, Fax: +32 2 546 1944 E-mail: christi.newman@ewea.org Advertising copy material should be sent to: Ankiza Gakunu, Marketing & Sales Assistant European Wind Energy Association asbl Rue d’Arlon, 63-65, B-1040 Brussels, Belgium Tel.: +32 2 400 1078, Fax: +32 2 546 1944 E-mail: ankiza.gakunu@ewea.org WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 | the last word | Young, green and online Photo: Aaron Thom B more than social pursuits, yet recent events such y now we’ve all heard about the disappointing as Twitter’s role in the Iranian political protests outcome of COP15, three pages of verbal, prove that these are invaluable tools that can be qualitative commitments that push back final harnessed to motivate individuals to take action. negotiations yet again, this time to COP16. Even My generation is well versed in the tools of combefore the end of the conference in Copenhagen munication and knowledge-sharing: we just have the finger-pointing had begun as to who was to use them, and I’m working toward this goal responsible, but in the end, what matters now every day. is that we bring what progress we have made to Being a student at a research university, I’m Mexico as a platform to finally reach a true COP surrounded by students tackling new ways to Accord. My fellow youths and I are not interested harness renewable energy, with innovative new in blaming one another or accusing one another techniques for utilising of causing climate resources such as wind change. We’re focused “Networking is probably the that break barriers. on taking action, and Students participate working to ensure that buzzword of the decade, and it groups such as the COP16 produces meanis exactly what we need to do to in one I lead and we are ingful results. Looking forward to engage communities across the easily able to share ideas and publicise COP16, what is the sigworld to take action to tackle events on short notice nificance of the world’s student at the Massachusetts because of tools availyouths in ensuring a Institute of Technology and climate change.” able to us. Through successful outcome? co-president of this group I have been able to work with the World Sustainability@MIT. The majority of the world today is under 35 years Student Community for Sustainable Development. of age. Four decades from now, when we finally hit the landmark year 2050, today’s youths will be We frequently connect to one another through online media and share research instantaneously as old as or older than the politicians at COP15. among our members. We do not want to see COP54 roll around and Our job now is to use these tools more effecthe nations not having reached a binding agreement to limit greenhouse gas emissions. We want tively to engage an even greater portion of youth worldwide to share ideas and offer one another our leaders to reach an agreement at COP16 to encouragement and support. Even if our leaders tackle climate change, or it is our generation that have not taken the steps we wish they would, will pay the price. that is not an excuse for us not to take action. Youths take very progressive stances on the Rather, we have an opportunity to lead by example issues of promoting renewable energy and ac– even beyond protesting for change, we can and tion on climate change. What we must do now must work together to cause change and demonis act collectively to turn our beliefs into actions strate to politicians that we are willing to work for that will speak to the political leaders of the change and want their support through a binding world. Our generation wants to take action to international agreement at COP16. fight climate change. Climate change is an unprecedented issue that will require global communication, collaboraAaron Thom is working towards a Bachelor’s of Science in tion, and cooperation. My generation is extremely Environmental Engineering with Minors in Economics and Political fortunate, then, that we are also growing up in Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is the coa time of unprecedented ability to communicate president of Sustainability@MIT. He served as MIT’s undergraduate world-wide. Networking is probably the buzzword representative at COP15, where he worked with the World Student of the decade, and it is exactly what we need to Community for Sustainable Development (www.wscsd.org). You can do to engage communities across the world to reach him at athom@mit.edu or +1-508-944-3414. take action to tackle climate change. It is easy to dismiss these websites and programmes as little by Aaron Thom, WIND DIRECTIONS | February 2010 55 No. 1 in Modern Energy We understand your needs, like we understand the power of wind Experience is one thing, but true, valuable understanding and knowledge of our customer’s needs is another. At Vestas we invest as much time building strong partnerships as we do making clean, renewable energy for our planet. It is our commitment to successful partnerships combined with over 30 years of experience in the wind industry, that enables us to provide you with the highest levels of service, the most sophisticated modern technology, and the reassurance that your investment in wind power is truly realised. This is our commitment to you. vestas.com Vestas - Committed to modern energy, committed to you.