A European success story
8 July 2019The wind industry is gearing up to write its next chapter on 26–28 November at WindEurope Offshore 2019. Taking place in Copenhagen, this biennial conference and exhibition is Europe’s foremost offshore wind energy event, gathering more than 8,000 attendees from over 50 countries to focus on the industry’s next steps.
There is now 189GW of wind energy in Europe, making up 14% of the EU’s power demand; 18.5GW of this is in Europe’s offshore fleet, the 105 wind farms and 4,500 turbines of which now provide 40,000 jobs. This number is set to grow, with rapid technological developments allowing ever-higher capacity factors in offshore wind and contributing to an overall reduction of offshore wind levelised cost of energy (LCOE).
The current reduction in offshore wind capex has also created a major opportunity to decrease grid connection costs. This will enable future transnational projects to connect offshore wind farms to different countries.
But for all this to happen, it will be crucial to align regulation – and this will be a key theme at the event. The rapid expansion of European offshore wind will require a great deal of coordination, and not just among wind industry stakeholders: offshore wind only works if there is happy coexistence with fishing, shipping and military interests and biodiversity interests.
The conference
All of these topics and more will be on the conference agenda in Copenhagen, where the programme will cover turbine technology, floating offshore wind, operations and maintenance (O&M), installation and logistics, resource assessment, grid development, storage, electrification and market integration, environmental impacts and spatial planning, skills, and health and safety.
The event takes place at an exciting time for the industry – there is widespread public support for the dramatic expansion of renewables in Europe, and wind energy is particularly well poised to ‘green the grid’. Dramatic innovations like floating wind unlock theoretically unlimited expanses of ocean for offshore energy. The power and potential of this rapidly growing sector is proving ever-more attractive to investors, with fossil fuel players now actively pursuing synergies between offshore wind, oil and gas.
The exhibition
The Event Ambassadors – MHI Vestas, Orsted, Shell New Energies and Van Oord – will be looking at how to increase these synergies and further unlock Europe’s offshore potential. They will join over 350 exhibitors to do business and network on the exhibition floor. Advance interest in the event is already high, with over 70% of the exhibition space already sold months ahead of schedule. National and regional pavilions from Denmark, Norway, the Basque Country and more will exhibit alongside companies like Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, DNV GL, Vattenfall, LM Wind Power, ENGIE and many more. Exhibitors are advised to contact WindEurope soon if they wish to book a stand.
It is wholly fitting that the event takes place in Copenhagen. As the home of wind industry giants like Vestas, Orsted, MHI Vestas and LM Wind Power, Denmark is perfectly poised to host this unbeatable opportunity to build contacts, promote brands, exchange ideas and connect with those at the forefront of offshore wind. Join 8,000 participants in Copenhagen this November to see how Europe’s offshore wind success story can get to the next level.
