News Archives - Page 2 of 2

Research and Innovation policy, funding opportunities and projects – quarterly update

20/07/2021

by Andreas Tang News

Upcoming EU funding opportunities and Research & Innovation policy

The European Commission has announced the details of 2021-2022 Horizon Europe work programme priorities. Wind energy will benefit from at least €154m, which is double what we had in the previous years.

Aside from that, there is an extra €207m of funding available, as part of additional calls for proposals in the renewable energy technologies area.

More information on the calls can be found on the European Commission’s funding and tenders portal.

Click here to learn more about the wind specific calls and register for our webinar to see how your organisation could benefit from these funding opportunities.

Webinar: “R&I funding under Horizon Europe: what’s in it for wind”

4 October, 10:00-12:00 CEST (Register here)

Carlos-Eduardo Lima de Cunha, Policy Officer from the European Commission, will give you a full overview of the open calls for wind energy and renewables.

Francesca Harris, Project Manager at CINEA (the Executive agency in charge of evaluating applications), will help you navigate the rules and share tips and tricks on how to successfully apply for the calls.

During the second part of the webinar you will get a chance to connect with other companies and research organisations to find a partner for your next EU-funded project!

For more information, contact Sabina Potestio.

22 Member States submitted their draft Recovery & Resilience Plans (RRPs) to the European Commission.

The RRF represents an unprecedented EU-level fiscal intervention (€673bn) to revive the European economy in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. And its objective is to make it greener, more digital, and more competitive.

Making the most of EU’s recovery and resilience facility

Wind energy projects are well placed to benefit from these funding opportunities. If you have a project that needs public funding, contact Sabina Potestio to check its eligibility or look at the technical guidance and other supporting documents here.

For rolling updates on the instruments and budget, please visit our WindEurope website.

The Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) programme funds the development of high-performing and sustainable infrastructure in the fields of energy, transport and digitalisation across Member State borders.

The total budget for the programme amounts to €33.71bn, with €25.81bn going to transport, €5.84bn to energy and €2.07bn to digital projects.

In the energy sector, the programme aims to contribute to further integrating the European energy market by facilitating decarbonisation, improving the interoperability of energy networks across borders and sectors, and ensuring security of supply. Funding will also be available to cross-border projects in the field of renewable energy generation.

For more information, contact Sabina Potestio.

The European Commission is in the final selection stage for large – scale projects submitted in 2020, who have applied to receive funding from the Innovation Fund (€1,100m).

The next call for large-scale projects will open on 26 October with the application deadline in March 2023. The European Commission is planning to allocate between €1,300m and €1,500m of funding and the submission requirements should be similar to those of the 2020 large-scale projects’ call.

The results will be ready to announce by summer 2023, with grants being allocated by November 2023.

The European Commission will also provide €100m funding to 30 small-scale projects (less than €7.5m), under the 2021 call. The results are expected to be announced this summer and grants will be signed by October 2021.

The next call for small-scale projects will open in March 2022, with a budget of €100m, and the application deadline in August 2022. Grants will be awarded in Q2 of 2023.

For more information, contact Alexander Vandenberghe.

Eager to know what funding opportunities your hydrogen project could benefit from?

The European Commission has just launched the Hydrogen Public Funding Compass, a platform which helps stakeholders find all the relevant information they need to access public funding. It has an overview of funding opportunities both at EU and Member State level.

This platform is a tool of European Clean Hydrogen Alliance, that is developing an investment pipeline of clean hydrogen projects. In June, the European Commission announced that 996 projects were already submitted to deliver the European Hydrogen Roadmap.

It also provides background information on Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPEIs) on hydrogen.

For more information, contact Sabina Potestio.

News from WindEurope Projects

The Corewind project partners have developed the FowApp, a flexible and intuitive application for early project planning of floating offshore wind farms.

The application calculates the energy produced, life-cycle costs, environmental impacts and Levelised Cost of Energy (LCOE) of floating offshore wind farms.

The application was tested earlier in March this year and its commercial deployment is expected by the end of this year.

WindEurope’s Quarterly Newsletter on Funding opportunities and European projects March 2021

19/03/2021

by Andreas Tang News

News from WindEurope projects

The Corewind team hosted a webinar on 25 February on “Innovations in integrated floating offshore wind systems”. Project partners IREC, WindEurope, the University of Stuttgart, INNOSEA, Ramboll and UPC, and Vestas came together to discuss the latest activities in the project and provided valuable recommendations on how to advance floating wind technology.

The University of Stuttgart and Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya introduced the FAST model of the UPC concrete spar floater and the 15 MW IEA WIND reference turbine. INNOSEA spoke about mooring solutions for floating offshore wind turbines and what the Corewind partners have been doing to optimise these systems. Ramboll highlighted opportunities in maintenance strategies for commercial scale floating wind. IREC introduced FowApp, an intuitive application developed by Corewind to be used during early project planning of floating offshore wind farms. Vestas expressed support for the innovative solutions discussed in the Corewind project.

For more information, contact Sabina Potestio.

ETIPWind will organise a workshop focused on “Delivering circularity through innovative materials and recycling technology” on 4 May 2021. With the support of WindEurope’s Sustainability Working Group, it will bring together policymakers, researchers, and industry representatives to debate and shape the future of sustainable wind energy materials. Learn more about the latest development in recycling and the circularity of materials used by wind.

Further information and registration here.

For more information, contact Raquel Alemañ.

Permitting is today’s main bottleneck for new wind farms. It often takes five years or more for authorities to decide on a permit. These delays add to the costs of developing a wind farm, deter investors and stifle technological innovation.

The RES Simplify project is currently mapping administrative and grid connection procedures across EU Member States and assessing through performance indicators how Member States are doing with regards to these procedures. This exercise looks at the various steps in the permitting process for onshore and offshore installations, use of IT systems, complaint procedures, and specific features to ease administrative steps. WindEurope has supported the assessment, from an effectiveness and efficiency point of view, of total process duration, deadlines, project approval rates, stakeholder involvement, cost and transparency of procedures and other important elements related to permission of new installations in different countries.

The preliminary project results will be presented for discussion in a workshop hosted by WindEurope on 22 March. We will discuss administrative and grid connection steps in different countries, and barriers to an efficient permitting process across the EU. We will also tackle specific permitting issues for offshore wind installations and EU provisions on permitting for the revision of the Renewable Energy Directive.

To register, please click here.

For more information, contact Sabina Potestio.

Upcoming EU funding opportunities and Research & Innovation policy

The Recovery & Resilience Facility (RRF) regulation came into force on 18 February. It represents an unprecedented EU-level fiscal intervention to revive the European economy in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Crucially, the objective of the RRF is not to return the EU to business-as-usual, but to lay the foundations for the economy of 2050: greener, more digital, and more competitive.

EU Member States have until 30 April to submit their national Recovery & Resilience Plans for review and approval by the European Commission. These plans will set out how Member States will use the funding and financing available under the RRF to support the transition towards a greener and more sustainable economy.

The RRF Regulation specifies that 37% of €673bn must be used for climate-related spending. And it includes a list of investments that would qualify as such. The lists not only define climate-related spending but also apply a weighting for different forms of climate-related spending. Member States must take those weightings into account when drafting their Recovery and Resilience plans.

When proposing the RRF, the European Commission made clear that recovery funding must “Do No Significant Harm” to the EU’s climate mitigation efforts. Now the Commission has published technical guidance on the application of this principle: measures which contribute to “significant” greenhouse gas emissions may not be funded under the RRF.

The technical guidance and other supporting documents can be found here.

Look at our infographic on “Making the most of EU’s recovery and resilience facility“.

For rolling updates on the instruments and budget, please visit our WindEurope website.

If you have a project that wants to benefit from funding, contact Sabina Potestio.

The European Parliament approved the InvestEU programme in March, ahead of its official launch on 18 March. The new programme will establish an EU guarantee of about €26.2bn, primarily to de-risk loans from the European Investment Bank. The envelope will be allocated according to four objectives:

Sustainable infrastructure: €9.9bn
Research, innovation and digitalisation: €6.6bn
Small and medium-sized enterprises: €6.9bn
Social investment and skills: €2.8bn

All four policy areas will include projects to support the just transition towards climate neutrality in the EU. And at least 30% of the investments under InvestEU should contribute to meeting the EU’s climate objectives. Investment projects that receive EU support will be screened to determine they do no significant harm to the environment.

For more information, contact Josh Gartland.

The European Commission is finalising the Horizon Europe work programme 2021-2022 for Climate, Energy & Mobility. We expect close to €1.8bn for energy R&D in 2021-2022. 40% of that could go to renewables, and could include some dedicated topics on onshore wind, recycling and materials research.

There will also be significant funding for developing Multiterminal Multi-Vendor (MTMV) HVDC platforms. These will play an important role for the deployment of offshore wind. And these were highlighted as a research and innovation priority in the EU’s offshore renewable strategy.

The first calls are expected to open on 15 April.

For more information, contact Alexander Vandenberghe.

The Innovation Fund is the EU’s largest funding programme for the demonstration of innovative low-carbon technologies. It aims to bring to the market industrial solutions that will deliver the transition towards climate neutrality.

The European Commission is reviewing the 311 applications to the first call for large-scale projects. The best 70 projects will be invited to submit a more detailed application by 23 June 2021. The final results will be announced in the autumn. The first grants will be signed by December 2021.

On 26 February, the European Commission organised an event to discuss the importance of knowledge-sharing for such projects, and to learn from the experiences of the NER 300 programme, the predecessor of the Innovation Fund. Experts from the “Veja Mate”, a 402 MW offshore wind farm in the German North Sea, which received over €100m in funding from NER 300, showed how knowledge was shared between the wind energy projects. The European Commission cited the wind sector as a shining example of how to share useful knowledge without disclosing any sensitive information.

For more information, you can watch the full webinar here.

The next call for large-scale projects (with a capital expenditure above €7.5m) is expected to open in September this year. The Commission still needs to decide whether the call will have a two-stage or a one-stage application process. It will have a budget of at least €1bn.

For more information, contact Alexander Vandenberghe or Ivan Pineda.

The Council of the European Union and the European Parliament have reached a provisional agreement on the second edition of the Connecting Europe Facility (2021-227).

The Connecting Europe Facility will continue to fund key projects in the areas of energy, transport and digital with an overall budget of €33.7bn (in current prices). The budget will be allocated as follows:

Transport: €25.81bn
Digital: €2.06bn
Energy: €5.84bn

CINEA, the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (the new INEA) will manage the transport and energy area.

For the energy sector, the programme aims to support the integration of the European energy market, improve the interoperability of energy networks across borders and sectors, facilitate decarbonisation and ensure security of supply. Funding will also be available for cross-border projects in the field of renewable energy generation.

CEF 2 will also emphasise synergies (synergy calls) between the transport, energy and digital sectors, to enhance the effectiveness of EU action and minimise implementation costs. It will promote cross-sectoral work in areas such as connected and automated mobility and alternative fuels.

Next steps:

Once adopted by both the Council and the European Parliament, the CEF regulation will enter into force the day after its publication in the EU Official Journal. It will apply retroactively from 1 January 2021.

For more information, contact Sabina Potestio.

The brand new LIFE programme starting this year (2021-2027) has much more to offer to the wind energy sector!

The new LIFE programme will cover the areas of nature and biodiversity, circular economy and quality of life, climate change mitigation and adaptation and clean energy transition. The Clean Energy Transition sub-programme of LIFE will be a continuation of the market uptake activities, previously funded under Horizon 2020. The clean energy transition sub-programme will aim to support the objectives of EU policies and regulation in the transition towards a decarbonised energy system and decarbonised economy. It will include capacity building and dissemination of knowledge, new skills, and innovative techniques in renewable energy and energy efficiency. The co-financing rate for projects will amount to 60%, so projects will need to find the remaining funding from other sources.

A call for project proposals is expected to be launched in late spring this year. The deadline for applications is provisionally set for autumn with the following project proposal timeline:

Launch of call: late spring 2021
Deadline for applications: autumn 2021
Evaluation: 2021/2022
Signature of grants: second half of 2022

All online information sessions for applicants will take place around June 2021.

For more information, contact Sabina Potestio.

Other news

The new European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency – CINEA will replace the existing INEA – Innovation and Networks Executive Agency as of 1 April 2021. INEA has been implementing the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), Horizon 2020 and Innovation Fund programmes.

The new Agency will look at supporting a sustainable, green and decarbonised Europe.

It will continue to follow the implementation of existing projects but will also start implementing additional 2021-2027 programmes. It will:

Continue managing CEF energy and Transport & Innovation Fund;
Add climate action to its portfolio under Horizon Europe;
Take on the LIFE programme and European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (previously managed by EASME). LIFE will have a new clean energy transition sub-programme (see the LIFE section above); and
Manage the new EU renewable energy financing mechanism. The mechanism will pool financial contributions from all EU countries to fund competitive tenders. It will ensure teh EU will reach its collective target of 32% renewable energy by 2030.

For more information, contact Sabina Potestio.

Are you part of a European or national research project and are looking to promote it? Would you like to attract new partners and disseminate your results? Look no further – we have the perfect solution for you. WindEurope’s Innovation Park is a pavilion designed to promote projects’ research and findings, and will feature at Electric City 2021 in Copenhagen (23-25 November). The goal of the pavilion is to provide high-profile visibility on the exhibition floor to projects, giving partners access to greater publicity and networking opportunities.

Benefits include:

Your own exhibition space;
a speaking slot on the Innovation Park stage;
a printed logo on your exhibition space;
entry in the exhibitor list;
social media coverage; and
2 Exhibitor staff passes (lunch included).

For more information, contact Tanguy Grandjean.

Legal notice: The views represented in this newsletter are those of its authors and do not represent the views or official position of the European Commission.

WindEurope’s Quarterly Newsletter on Funding opportunities and European projects

15/12/2020

by Andreas Tang News

Your gateway to WindEurope’s EU-funded projects, European Funding Opportunities and the latest on funding Policies.

News from WindEurope projects

The Corewind team has been working on a report on floating-wind-specific O&M requirements and monitoring technologies which is available to download on the Corewind website. The document identifies state-of-the-art techniques in order to enable economic O&M operations for future commercial floating wind farms.

The adhesion of proteins or microorganisms on wetted surfaces can influence the behaviour of the components submerged in the sea. Therefore, the COREWIND project has been analysing marine growth and biofouling in all system components (turbines, floating structures, mooring and dynamic cables). The project partners sent material samples for anchors and dynamic cables to the Marine Corrosion Test Site “El Bocal” located on the Cantabrian coast near Santander. The results will help validate the model assumptions for different components of the floating system.

For more information, contact Sabina Potestio.

About Corewind: The COREWIND project provides disruptive and cost-effective solutions for floating offshore wind technology leading to cost reduction. It is developing innovative research, modelling and optimization for concrete-based floating substructure concepts.

Health and Safety (H&S) is a top priority for the wind industry. But how is it addressed in each country? Why does the industry need to follow different approaches and regulation to achieve the same goal? The project WindHarmony, funded by the European Commission, has been looking into these questions and has assessed the potential for harmonisation of H&S regulations and standards across Europe. The final results are available here. A series of best practice events were organised in September and October across Europe. Did you miss them? Don’t worry, you can access them here.

If you don’t have time to watch but would like a quick summary, read our latest post here.
After two years of intense industry discussions the project is now finished. There are 7 priority areas for potential harmonisation of H&S standards. And the consortium has developed a database on national H&S regulation that has been made publicly available.

For more information contact Sabina Potestio.

About WindHarmony: The Wind Harmony project looks at health and safety (H&S) regulations and related standards impacting onshore and offshore wind energy across in Europe. It assesses and prioritises their potential for harmonisation or other type of intervention at European level.

With accelerated policies, floating offshore wind could reach cost parity with bottom-fix offshore in the next decade, very much depending on the speed of deployment and research policies.

ETIPWind produced a graphic overview of the state-of-the-art floating offshore wind technology and the measures needed for commercialisation. The report spells out the sector's R&I recommendations allowing Europe to take the lead in a vast and untapped global market, as well as supporting European competitiveness. The topic was addressed in a webinar earlier this year. Did you miss it? See the video here.

For more information, contact Alexander Vandenberghe.

Permitting is today’s main bottleneck for new wind farms. It often takes 3 years or more for authorities to decide on a permit. These delays add to the costs of developing a wind farm, deter investors and stifle technological innovation.

WindEurope has joined forces with other renewable energy sectors and partners to tackle permitting issues in a 3-year project funded by the European Commission: the RES SIMPLIFY.

As a first step, the partners are mapping the permitting procedures in different countries. Secondly, we will monitor and evaluate the performance of these permitting procedures based on key performance indicators. The results of the monitoring and evaluation, in combination with other sources of good practice will then be used to identify transferable good practice approaches that should be reflected in the next revision of the Renewable Energy Directive and that can be applied in Member States.

WindEurope organised a workshop on 20 October with wind farm developers and national associations to identify the appropriate performance indicators to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of permitting processes in Member States. The participants validated the indicators proposed by the project partners. Some examples include cost of administrative/grid connection procedures, process duration, the average response time of authorities/TSOs/DSOs, the average number of staff in authorities to assess permits and the minimum distance to housing.

For more information, contact Sabina Potestio.

About RES Simplify: The RES SIMPLIFY project is a project funded by the European Commission on permitting of renewable energy. It is coordinated by the Consultancy Eclareon, partnering with Oeko-Institut, WindEurope and SolarPower Europe. The project aims to speed up the permitting process at a national level for new renewable energy projects, including onshore and offshore wind.

European Funding Opportunities & Policies

1. Recovery & Resilience Facility

The European Parliament’s position on the Recovery & Resilience Facility (RRF) was voted on in committee on 10 November. Negotiations between the European Parliament, European Commission and EU Council on the final form of the €672.5bn funding instrument are expected to be concluded by the year’s end. All three institutions agree that 37% of RRF funding should go to climate-related spending.

Five Member States have already published high-level Recovery & Resilience Plans (RRPs): Spain, Romania, Portugal, Czechia, and Slovenia (see graph below). The Romanian plan is the most ambitious as it represents up to 16% of gross national income while the Spanish plan represents the largest absolute amount, with €140bn planned.

The European Commission is currently engaged in discussions with these Member States on the details of their plans, to ensure they meet both the criteria in the draft RRF regulation, and the Commission guidance published in September. Final drafts of the RRPs should be ready by 30 April 2021 for evaluation by the European Commission.

2. InvestEU

Trilateral negotiations are also underway on InvestEU, the European Commission guarantee to de-risk loans from the European Investment Bank and other public financial institutions. The institutions are currently far apart. The European Parliament supports a budget of over €40bn, with guarantees provisioned at 45%, while the Council of the European Union supports a budget of just €9.4bn, with guarantees provisioned at 40%. The Council’s position makes no mention of the Strategic Investment Facility first proposed by the European Commission in May.

3. Just Transition Fund

On Wednesday Green MEPs managed to get rid of natural gas funding from the €17.5 billion Just Transition Fund (JTF) in the final round of trilogue negotiations. The European Commission and Council positions already excluded gas funding, but Parliament had approved an opinion in September allowing for fossil spending in regions expected to have a tough time switching from coal to renewables.

For rolling updates on the instruments and budget, please visit our WindEurope website.

If you have a project that wants to benefit from funding, contact Sabina Potestio.

On 11 November, EU members states approved the European Investment Bank (EIB) Group Climate Bank Roadmap 2021-2025.

The Roadmap describes how the EIB will support the objectives of the European Green Deal and sustainable development outside the European Union. This includes:

Allocating €1 trillion in investment for climate action and environmental sustainability in the decade to 2030;
EIB Group aligning all financing activities from the end of 2020 with the goals of the Paris Agreement;
More than 50% of annual financing dedicated to green investment by 2025;
More green advisory services and financing of innovative low carbon technologies;
Support for green capital markets, climate change adaptation, Just Transition projects.

EIB President Werner Hoyer stated that the roadmap constitutes a significant contribution to the role of Europe which is leading the effort for decarbonisation and the building of a green, resilient economy leaving no one behind.

For more information, contact Guy Brindley.

The European Commission has opened a call for Research & Innovation projects, with a €1 billion budget under Horizon 2020, to help the EU deliver on the Green Deal in the form of grants. Funding is also available for wind energy. The call is open until 26 January 2021 and is subdivided into different topics:

More details about the call are available here.

In October, WindEurope organised a Sofa Talk with the European Commission’s experts, who gave us all necessarily tips and steering in helping proposals to succeed. A very insightful session. Our top recommendation for those involved in the current call. Did you miss it? Don’t worry, you can access the video here.

For more information, contact Sabina Potestio.

The Blue Economy Window is a “window” of opportunities in the form of grants, allocated to SME projects every year through the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF).

This time around, it’s €20M for projects from SMEs contributing to the Green Deal goals. SMEs are considered the backbone of our economy and will play a huge role in the post-COVID recovery.

Relevant areas for the blue economy include renewable energy, cleaner shipping, digital transformation of ocean and coastal activities and enabling technologies such as sensors, corrosion or biofouling resistant materials, coating, digitisation, electricity transmission equipment or multi-purpose platforms.

The call is open until 16 February and aims at:

Bringing to market new products, services, processes, and business models in blue economy value chains and helping to advance their market-readiness;
Developing a sustainable and innovative blue economy in Europe's sea basins;
De-risking investment in these projects to facilitate their access to other financing schemes for the next stages of their activities.

Who can apply?
Minimum of 1 for-profit SME from any EU Member State + the UK.

How much support can companies expect?
70% co-funding. Indicative requested contribution between €700,000 & €2,500,000

What is the EC looking for?

Close-to-market activities (TRL 6-8);
Innovation & impact-oriented investment;
Strong management teams;
Support from investors or customers.

Can these funds be combined with other EU funds?
No. Beneficiaries cannot simultaneously receive finance from other public sources.

For more information, contact Sabina Potestio.

One of the world’s largest funding programmes for the demonstration of innovative low-carbon technologies, the Innovation Fund has recently allocated €1bn to 311 projects including 58 on renewable energy (look out for the upcoming ETIPWind newsletter in January on R&I to get more information on wind projects!). This first call for projects was also 22 times oversubscribed! (projects worth €21.7 bn for only €1bn available). The fund has now opened a call for small-scale projects with less than €7.5m in CAPEX and has a budget of €100m to allocate.

The call will support innovative, state-of-the-art projects that go beyond incremental innovation and that support the Green Deal objectives. The deadline to apply is 10 March 2021.

What are the award criteria?

Degree of innovation. If a proposal scores less than the minimum threshold under this criterion, the evaluation is stopped (the remaining criteria are neither evaluated nor scored);
Project maturity and greenhouse gas emissions avoidance potential. If a proposal scores less than 50% of total points under the project maturity criterion, if it does not meet the minimum requirements or is found to have a manifest error under the greenhouse gas emission avoidance potential criterion, the evaluation is stopped (the remaining criteria are neither evaluated nor scored);
Scalability and cost efficiency.

The funds can be used in cooperation with other public funding initiatives, such as State aid or other EU funding programmes.

Applicants will be informed about the results of the evaluation in the fourth quarter of 2021. Full info on the call can be found here. And you can listen to the info webinar here.

For more information, contact Sabina Potestio.

The European Commission has approved an investment package of more than €280 million from the EU budget for new LIFE programme projects. Among other challenges, these projects will support the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2030, contribute to the EU’s Green recovery post-COVID-19, and help Europe become a climate-neutral continent by 2050.

The LIFE programme will become more and more important for wind as of 2021. A specific sub-programme on energy will be added to the budget line. So keep an eye on its upcoming funding opportunities next year!

For more information, contact Sabina Potestio.

Are you part of a European or national research project and you want to promote it? Would you like to attract new partners and disseminate your results? Look no further – we have the perfect solution for you. WindEurope’s Innovation Park is a pavilion designed to promote projects’ research and findings, and will feature at Electric City 2021 in Copenhagen (27-29 April). The goal of the pavilion is to provide high-profile visibility on the exhibition floor to projects, giving partners access to greater publicity and networking opportunities.

Benefits include:

Your own exhibition space;
A speaking slot on the Innovation Park stage;
A printed logo on your exhibition space;
Entry in the exhibitor list;
Social media coverage;
2 Exhibitor staff passes (lunch included).

For more information, contact Tanguy Grandjean.

Legal notice: The views represented in this newsletter are those of its authors and do not represent the views or official position of the European Commission.

WindEurope Research & Innovation Quarterly Newsletter Q3 2020

09/10/2020

by Andreas Tang News

News from WindEurope projects

Corewind

The project has developed an automatised mooring design optimisation tool. It couples OrcaFlex and ISIGHT software, allowing testing for a large variety of mooring designs. The tools find the most cost-effective design to address e.g. floater motions and accelerations, lines and anchor tensions. It’s been successfully applied for the Windcrete and ActiveFloat floaters in the West of Barra, Gran Canaria and Morro Bay sites.

The Corewind team is also working on recommendations to optimise O&M strategies and installation techniques for futre commercial floating wind farms. Its preliminary findings include:

Establishment of a “good neighbourhood” communication is essential for reducing conflicts during the operation phase with other stakeholders (e.g. fishing industry);
The walk-to-work system is the most promising technique to overcome the relative motions between floater and vessel and to accomplish a safe access.

For more information contact: Sabina or visit the Corewind website.

About Corewind: The COREWIND project provides disruptive and cost-effective solutions for floating offshore wind technology leading to cost reduction. It is developing innovative research, modelling and optimization for concrete-based floating substructure concepts.

Wind Harmony

Wind Harmony is producing roadmaps for the industry and other stakeholders on proposed changes towards a European harmonisation on Health and Safety with recommendations for 7 areas:

Training;
Electrical, mechanical and other hazardous areas;
Wind turbine safety design standards;
Fitness to work and medical examinations;
Emergency planning and response;
Critical safety information sharing;
Common approach to regulation and enforcement

Harmonisation would not only reduce complexity, risks and costs, but also allow for a truly global wind industry.

The project has two online best practice events coming up on. The first event, which will focus on Poland will take place on 13 October. The second will take place on 27 October and will focus on Denmark. The objective of these interactive webinars is to share best practices in health, safety and potential areas for harmonisation.

To register to the free online events, please visit this web page.

For more information contact Sabina Potestio.

ETIPWind

ETIPWind latest “Floating Offshore WInd: delivering climate neutrality” gives a graphic overview of the state-of-the-art floating offshore wind technology and the measures needed for commercialisation. It spells out the sector’s R&I recommendations allowing Europe to take the lead in a vast and untapped global market, as well as supporting European competitiveness. See it here.

The ETIPWind workshop on “Research & Innovation to deliver 450 GW of offshore wind” is now available online. The workshop was in collaboration with the EERA JP Wind and SETWind Annual Event 2020. Industry experts and researchers discussed the technology pathways to deliver 450 GW of offshore wind in Europe. Together with the participants they identified how to scale-up offshore technology and how to successfully install and manage these large volumes of offshore wind. See the video here.

For more information, contact Alexander Vandenberghe.

Upcoming EU funding opportunities and Research & Innovation policy

EU Recovery Plan

In July, Member States reached an agreement on an exceptional Recovery Strategy to counter the economic impacts of COVID-19. The total recovery package amounts to €1.82 trillion. It combines a €1.074 trillion proposal for the EU’s seven-year budget for 2021 to 2027 and an unprecedented recovery fund – Next Generation EU – worth €750 bn. The biggest single component of Next Generation EU will be the Recovery & Resilience Facility, worth €672.5 bn.

The Strategy recognises that “the renewable energy sector will be hit hard”. It singles out renewables as a priority, and commits to “rolling out renewable energy projects, especially wind, solar and clean hydrogen”. If properly implemented, the Recovery Strategy could be accelerate the European Green Deal. The budget will be allocated through both grants and loans.

The consultancy EY has identified 1,000 green projects which will support the EU’s Recovery Plan. The summary report highlights required investments to be €200 billion. Onshore and offshore wind projects are also featured on the list. The list of projects illustrates the huge project pipeline that exists across all European countries which could ensure a green and resilient recovery from the COVID-19 economic crisis. EY says the entire EU pipeline of green projects could be as high as €1 trillion.

For rolling updates on the instruments and budget, please visit our WindEurope website.

If you have a project that wants to benefit from funding, contact Sabina Potestio.

The European Green Deal

The European Commission has opened a call for R&I projects, with a €1 billion budget under Horizon 2020, to help the EU deliver on the Green Deal. The call has an exclusive focus on projects that have clear impacts in the short to medium-term (more focus on innovation than research).

The call dedicates €68 million to support offshore renewables and system integration. Offshore energy includes wind (bottom-fixed and floating), ocean energy and floating PV. Offshore projects must cover innovation in power generation technologies and may include new solutions to grid infrastructure and power transmission.

In addition, there are:

€18 million for renewable heat solutions (could be for electrifying district heating);
€60 million to demonstrate a 100 MW hydrogen electrolyser;
€40 million to support deployment of renewables in Africa; and
€80 million to decarbonise industrial processes (possibilities for direct electrification).

Projects can apply for up to €35 million in support, we will see at least two projects funded.

The call will support:

Pilot applications, demonstration projects and innovative products;
Innovation for better governance of the green and digital transition;
Social and value chain innovation.

The deadline to apply for projects will be 26 January. Projects would start in Autumn 2021. On 22 October, we will be discussing the priorities and rules for applicants in a WindEurope Sofa Talk together with the European Commission.

For more information, contact Sabina Potestio.

Innovation Fund

The Innovation Fund’s first call for proposals has been published. The Innovation Fund is one of the largest EU funding programmes for the demonstrating the contribution of innovative low-carbon technologies to greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction.

The Innovation and Networks Executive Agency (INEA) is responsible for implementing the calls, and provides extensive information and instructions for applicants on their website.

The call for proposals targets innovative renewables and energy storage technologies, and projects are selected according to these criteria:

Effectiveness of greenhouse gas emissions avoidance;
Degree of innovation;
Project maturity;
Scalability;
Cost efficiency.

WindEurope strongly encourages its members to apply for funding of innovative projects in the area of wind energy. This includes projects that link wind energy to electrification or the production of renewable hydrogen. Floating wind projects, or hybrid projects, combining wind energy production with storage solutions or solar power production could also fall under the funding criteria.

The maximum co-financing rate is 60%. For large-scale projects, the application process is in two phases: expression of interest and full application. For small-scale projects, the application process will consist of just one stage. The first call is dedicated to large-scale projects.

More info here.

Electric City 2021 Innovation Park

Benefits include:

Your own exhibition space;
A speaking slot on the Innovation Park stage;
A printed logo on your exhibition space;
Entry in the exhibitor list;
Social media coverage;
2 Exhibitor staff passes (lunch included).

For more information, contact Tanguy Grandjean.

MaRINET2

The fifth and final MaRINET2 call has opened for free offshore renewables testing. The call is open to offshore energy technology developers who are looking to test their device or components. The winning projects will have access to a world-leading network of testing and testing infrastructure in Europe.

The application deadline is 16 October, and a webinar recording helping candidates with their application and in updating others on the process is available on the project website.

European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF)

The European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) has launched a call to boost Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP). The call aims to support Member States in setting up maritime spatial plans, and to ensure the plans are coherent and coordinated across relevant marine regions.

The Maritime Spatial Planning call is divided into two distinct topics:

EMFF-MSP-01-2020: Reserved for applicants from at least two coastal Member States bordering the targeted sea basins/marine regions, i.e. the North Sea and/or the Baltic Sea.
EMFF-MSP-02-2020: Reserved for applicants from at least one coastal Member State responsible for MSP in the concerned EU Outermost region(s).

The application deadline is 10 November.

For more information contact Sabina Potestio.

European Research & Innovation Days

The European Commission’s annual flagship event focusing on Research & Innovation (R&I) brought together policymakers, researchers, entrepreneurs and the public for 3 days of intense policy co-designing, panels and matchmaking opportunities.

The fully virtual event included interactive sessions and gave participants the opportunity to provide input on how R&I policy and funding can help pave the way for a green, digital and resilient future.

The event featured a policy conference with several plenary sessions, covering a wide range of topics on R&I. These include:

Shaping future R&I policy;
Fair and just transition in the Green Deal;
Digitalisation;
EU funding;
Synergies between EU and other funding programmes;
International cooperation.

More information available here.

WindEurope Research & Innovation Quarterly Newsletter – Q2 2020

13/05/2020

by Andreas Tang News

News from WindEurope projects

The Corewind project held its first dissemination webinar on the 21 April (recording and slides available here). The online event brought together some of the companies involved in the project to discuss how floating offshore wind can help Europe go carbon-neutral through innovations and cost-reduction.

The focus of the discussions was on innovative responses to key challenges in mooring and anchoring technology, power cables interconnection and O&M strategies. Innovations in these areas are essential to pave the way for cost-competitive floating offshore wind.

Cobra, JDR and Equinor shared their industrial experience on offshore floating projects. Research institutions DTU and IREC gave an overview on the latest research developments while WindEurope provided a broader view on the latest on the European Green Deal and the role of offshore wind.

For more information contact: Sabina

About Corewind: The COREWIND project provides disruptive and cost-effective solutions for floating offshore wind technology leading to cost reduction. It is developing innovative research, modelling and optimization for concrete-based floating substructure concepts.

The Wind Harmony project held its third public workshop on 13 March. The project is developing a list of health & safety areas that would benefit from the harmonisation of national regulations and industry practices.

The online workshop focused on the validation of those health & safety areas, including their potential for harmonisation. The project is now finalising the priority list, including an assessment of the socio-economic benefits and barriers.

The final list will be presented and discussed at the fourth and final workshop, planned for 10 June. The workshop will be held online and is open to all stakeholders. Click HERE to register. For other updates check the project website.

For more information contact Dorina.

About WindHarmony: The WindHarmony project looks at health and safety (H&S) regulations and related standards impacting onshore and offshore wind energy across in Europe. It assesses and prioritises their potential for harmonisation or other type of intervention at European level.

In June, the ETIPWind platform will publish a new factsheet on floating offshore wind. The document builds on the 2019 Roadmap and will summarise the state of play in technology and spell out the benefits of floating wind development for Europe and its regions. Key industry stakeholders will engage in a deeper discussion on the factsheet and the wider trends during a dedicated webinar. Click here to stay informed.

Upcoming EU funding opportunities and Research & Innovation policy

The Blue Invest Fund is a brand new €75 million fund to support innovative SMEs in Europe active in the Blue Economy (all economic activities related to oceans, seas and coasts). The fund was jointly launched by the European Commission and the European Investment Bank (EIB) earlier this year.

To receive financing, financial intermediaries must meet one or more of the criteria below:

Be active in research, development and/or operations of the Blue economy;
Exploit marine environment data or information in order to research, develop or manufacture products and/or services;
Transfer non-blue economy sectors technologies and/or data to blue economy-related activities;
Pursue digitalisation in blue economy technologies, products or services.

For more information contact Sabina.

The 2020 CEF Energy call for proposals has been opened, making €979.6 million available to finance Projects of Common Interest (PCIs) geared at the following objectives:

Ending energy isolation;
Increasing competitiveness by promoting the integration on the internal energy market and the interoperability of electricity and gas networks across borders;
Enhancing the Union’s security of supply;
Integrating energy from renewable sources and developing smart energy networks;
Eliminating energy bottlenecks;
Completion of the internal energy market;
Contributing to sustainable development and protection of the environment, inter alia by the integration of energy from renewable sources and by the development of smart energy networks and cross-border carbon dioxide networks;
Providing other benefits, e.g. in relation to the European “Green Deal” objectives.

The deadline to apply is 27 May 2020

For more information contact Sabina.

The European Commission is launching a new call for proposals. It has a €1 billion budget for research and innovation projects that will help the EU to deliver on the Green Deal.
The European Green Deal Call is expected to focus on 8 thematic areas, 2 horizontal areas and 1 potential area on international cooperation. There are two thematic areas of interest to the wind industry:

“Area 2”: Clean, affordable and secure energy;
“Area 3”: Industry for a clean and circular economy.

We expect the European Commission to publish the final work program and open the call for proposals in September, in the occasion of the R&I days. The call would then be open until January 2021.
For more information contact Sabina.

DG CLIMA and INEA are looking for experienced and motivated experts to evaluate projects applying to the Innovation Fund.

Who should apply? Technical experts in renewables; seasoned professional and financial experts in project development and/or corporate or project finance including due-diligence, bankability and risk analysis of projects; and legal experts with experience in permitting and public procurement.

How to apply? Register in the European Commission’s expert database and in parallel, send your CV to [email protected]

Make sure to:

•   Complete all sections of the online application form;
•   Document and add all relevant keywords best describing your expertise and background;
•   Add your email address so that you may be contacted;
•   Attach an updated CV to the registration;
•   Take a look at the manual for experts for more information;
•   Send a copy of your CV to [email protected].

For more information contact Sabina.

The European Commission launched an online questionnaire to consult stakeholders on the implementation of the new LIFE programme (2021-2027), which will include the Clean Energy Transition sub-programme as a new feature. Read WindEurope’s response here.

The Clean Energy Transition sub-programme of LIFE will be a continuation of the market uptake activities currently funded under Horizon 2020. The aim is to support the objectives of EU legislation and policies in the transition towards a decarbonised energy system and a decarbonised economy. It will include capacity building and dissemination of knowledge, new skills, and innovative techniques in energy efficiency and renewable energy. WindEurope has been very active in market uptake projects. We are expecting this program to continue supporting the sector on policy and market design related topics.

The last calls for the LIFE programme funding period 2014-2020 have just been published. The Climate action sub-programme funds climate change mitigation and climate governance and information.

One of the priority areas for climate change mitigation is renewable energy. Grants will be allocated to best practice, pilot and demonstration projects that contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, the implementation and development of EU policy and law, best practices and solutions.

Climate governance and information funds projects in the areas of awareness raising, training and capacity building, law compliance and enforcement, knowledge development and stakeholder participation.

The deadline to apply is 6 October 2020

For more information contact Sabina.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) has recently opened a public consultation on sustainable finance. The aim of the consultation is to collect the views and opinions of interested parties in order to inform the Commission’s renewed strategy on sustainable finance.

Building on the 2018 Action Plan on financing sustainable growth, the renewed sustainable finance strategy will provide a roadmap with new actions to increase private investment in sustainable projects and activities to support the different actions set out in the European Green Deal and to manage and integrate climate and environmental risks into the financial system. The initiative will also provide additional enabling frameworks for the European Green Deal Investment Plan.

The deadline to reply is 15 July 2020

Legal notice: The views represented in this newsletter are those of its authors and do not represent the views or official position of the European Commission.

Watch online: webinar on how floating offshore wind can help Europe go climate-neutral

27/04/2020

by Rory News

Floating offshore wind has a huge potential which remains largely unexploited. Massive amounts of wind resources exist in deep waters (+60m) where an estimated potential capacity of 4000 GW could be installed. This would open the door to offshore wind installations for countries such as Norway, Spain or Portugal.

One of the main drawbacks hindering floating offshore wind expansion is cost. This technology is still relatively expensive with a LCOE well above bottom fix technology. Innovative responses to key challenges on mooring and anchoring technology, power cables interconnection and O&M strategies are essential to pave the way for cost-competitive floating offshore wind.

This workshop-style webinar explored some of the solutions to these challenges together with experts, practitioners and captains of industry with insights from the COREWIND project (COst REduction and Increase Performance of floating WIND technology).

Download the webinar presentation slides:

Introduction to COREWIND

Definition of the IEA 15 MW wind turbine and its use in COREWIND

Coupled analysis and optimization strategies for FOWT mooring and dynamic cable design

Pathway to cost reduction in floating wind technology

The role of offshore wind in the European Green Deal

Watch the full webinar here:

WindEurope Research & Innovation Quarterly Newsletter – Q1 2020

01/02/2020

by admin News

WindEurope Research & Innovation
Quarterly Newsletter to Members

Your gateway to WindEurope’s EU-funded projects,
funding opportunities, and Research & Innovation policy.
If you would like to continue receiving this newsletter, please update your preferences here.

February 2020

News from WindEurope projects

The Corewind project will hold its first public workshop in Marseille on 21 April at Floating Offshore Wind Turbines (FOWT) 2020, the largest event dedicated to floating offshore wind. WindEurope and partners will present the results of the initial studies and will discuss with industry how to progress on the development of floating systems.

Could you support us with your knowledge and expertise?

Get in touch with Sabina Potestio and we will set up an interview!

About Corewind: The Corewind project, focusing on the development of innovative and cost-effective solutions for floating offshore wind, is now working on the state-of-the-art of mooring, anchoring and dynamic cables system designs. This will ensure that innovations developed in the project will account for current industry practices and latest know-how.

The SIMULWIND project came to an end in December 2019. The final version of the simulator is available on the project website. Moreover, the website hosts a users’ platform to exchange ideas and experiences over the tool.

About SIMULWIND: This was an ambitious European-funded project (ERASMUS + programme) which developed a virtual reality (VR) maintenance simulator for training operation and maintenance (O&M) professionals. The simulator is a customisable and adaptable tool that can be adapted to the various training needs and types of wind turbines.

ETIPWind, the European Technology and Innovation Platform for wind, launched its Roadmap during WindEurope’s Offshore 2019 event in Copenhagen. The report provides technology solutions and research priorities that will drive the development of wind energy and help reduce costs across the supply chain. It is available on the website as a pdf or in an interactive format.

The first WindHarmony results are available in a database which gathers up to date information on administrative procedures, legislation and standards and certification procedures on health and safety for wind available in EU 28. The database is open to everyone free of charge.

The project is now planning the last two public workshops to validate topics for potential harmonisation and identify intervention for each of the health and safety topics, which may include harmonisation or standardisation at the European level. This is a significant moment for the industry to improve the health and safety performance of wind energy and influence the European Commission’s future priorities in this field. The first workshop is planned for 13 March 2020 in Paris.

Dont miss the 3rd workshop of the ‘Wind Harmony’ study:
The workshop takes place on Friday 13 March starting at 9:30 in the Sheraton Paris Airport Hotel & Conference Centre. Further details are available in the detailed agenda. Please register here.

For more information on the project and on how to get involved, please contact Dorina Iuga.

About WindHarmony: The WindHarmony project looks at health and safety (H&S) regulations and related standards impacting onshore and offshore wind energy across in Europe. It assesses and prioritises their potential for harmonisation or other type of intervention at European level.

Upcoming EU funding opportunities and Research & Innovation policy

In November, the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund launched a new call to support the sustainable development of blue economy SMEs across the European Union. Under the Blue Economy Window call, SMEs can apply as single entities or consortia. The overall budget is €22.5 million.

Application deadline: 27 February 2020.

In December, the European Commission opened six energy-related calls for proposals under the 2018-2020 Horizon 2020 Work Programme. A total of €83 million of EU funding is available. The detail on these calls and their focus are available in the WindEurope Members’ Area.

Proposal deadline: 21 April 2020.

The Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) is the key EU funding instrument that targets infrastructure investment at European level. Since 2014 it has been supporting cross-border transmission and storage projects for electricity, natural gas and CO2. The projects supported under the CEF are known as Project of Common interest (PCIs). PCIs get grants for construction and a special status to accelerate the consenting and permitting process.

For the next programming period 2021-2027 there is a political agreement to include a new window under CEF Energy for cross-border projects in the field of renewable energy generation. A total of 15% of the final CEF energy budget is earmarked for the initiative subject to market uptake.

Provided that they prove Member State cooperation and EU added value, the following types of project (in the form of studies or works) are eligible for funding:

Individual project with physical cross-border impact (e.g. dispatchable power in country A reducing grid congestion in country B);
Individual project with no physical cross-border impact (e.g. two distant countries jointly financing a wind park via cooperation mechanism);
Multiple projects which might not necessarily have a physical cross-border impact (e.g. joint support scheme usually in connection with a statistical transfer).

Furthermore, the CEF agreement strengthens the provisions on synergy actions combining investments across sectors (energy, transport, digital). As of 2021, specific synergy work programmes can be established. The necessity to constitute a priority action on both ends will be replaced by provisions that allow a project eligible for CEF in one sector to be combined with an investment of up to 20% of eligible costs in another sector. This should allow the revised CEF to support sector integration.

The European Commission is now collecting concrete project ideas for the first call, which is planned in 2021. WindEurope is organising the input of the wind industry for the European Commission. If you have a project that meets the above-mentioned conditions and is seeking economic support, please get in touch with Sabina Potestio.

For the 2021-2027 programming period, the LIFE programme will be supporting the market uptake of clean energy solutions via a new sub-programme – Clean energy transition. Previously the funding for market uptake initiatives was under Horizon 2020. The provisional budget for the new sub-programme is €1bn.

The overarching objective of the Clean energy transition sub-programme is building capacity to create the right market and regulatory conditions for the energy transition. The scope includes both renewable energy and energy efficiency.
The European Commission is now fine-tuning the preparation of the consultation that should be launched beginning of February here. The consultation will allow potential beneficiaries to have a say on the design of the funding mechanism.

The Innovation Fund, the key EU funding programme for demonstration of innovative low-carbon technologies, will be issuing its first call for projects this year. The final design of the funding scheme is still underway:

The definition of the selection criteria has almost been completed. The Innovation Fund Delegated Regulation lists the elements for projects to access funding;
The European Commission will run expert workshops to further detail the selection criteria of projects. These will focus on the methodology definition of GHG emission avoidance (5-6 February) and the relevant costs definition to be covered by the Innovation Fund (2nd week of March);
The European Commission is gathering data about potential projects.
WindEurope has been coordinating the input from members regarding potential projects and technologies that could be eligible for funding. If you are interested in knowing more, or have projects that you would like to promote, please get in touch with Sabina Potestio.

The European Commission unveiled the Sustainable Europe Investment Plan, the financial pillar of the European Green Deal. The EU aims to mobilise €1 trillion in investments over the next 10 years to support the transition towards climate neutrality by 2050 through various financial instruments: InvestEU, the Just Transition Mechanism, the ETS Funds (Innovation and Modernisation Funds), national funding and the European Investment Bank.

The Just Transition Mechanism will mobilise €100 billion over the period 2021 to 2027 to help fossil-fuel intensive regions transition towards sustainable technologies. It leans on 3 pillars: a Just Transition Fund; a guarantee scheme under the InvestEU programme relying on private investments; and a public loan facility formed of EU budget and European Investment Bank loans for local and regional authorities.

The Just Transition Fund will receive €7.5 billion of EU funds. Member States are to define eligible regions through dedicated territorial just transition plans. They will have to match each euro from the Just Transition Fund with a minimum of €1.5 and a maximum of €3 from the European Regional Development Fund and the European Social Fund, and provide additional national co-financing according to cohesion policy rules. It will mostly support workers to develop skills and competences for the job market of the future and help SMEs, start-ups and incubators to create new economic opportunities in these regions. The money will be accessible at national level as from 2021, once the regions and plans are defined in agreement with the European Commission.

The Commission’s proposal for Horizon Europe is an ambitious €94.1 billion research and innovation programme to succeed Horizon 2020. It will focus on three pillars: excellent science, global challenges, and European industrial competitiveness and innovative Europe.
The EU’s long-term budget, the Multiannual Financial Framework, is under negotiation. Regarding Horizon Europe, the Finnish presidency in 2019 proposed a 2.98% cut, resulting in a budget of €84,013 billion.

For more information contact Sabina or Dorina.

Legal notice: The views represented in this newsletter are those of its authors and do not represent the views or official position of the European Commission.

Website online!

23/10/2019

by admin News

COREWIND website is live.

WindEurope Research & Innovation Quarterly Newsletter – Q4 2019

15/10/2019

by admin News

WindEurope Research & Innovation
Quarterly Newsletter to Members

Your gateway to WindEurope’s EU-funded projects,
funding opportunities, and Research & Innovation policy.
(If you would like to continue receiving this newsletter, please update your
preferences here. Just look for the checkbox for “EU-Funded Projects”)

October 2019

News from WindEurope projects

Launched in September 2019 COREWIND (COst REduction and increase performance of floating WIND technology) is a Horizon2020 project which aims to achieve cost reduction of offshore floating wind technology (15% LCOE reduction) by optimizing two components: mooring systems (including anchors) and power dynamic cables.

The kick-off meeting, which took place at the European Energy Research Alliance (EERA) offices on the 2-3 of September, gathered all the partners and the European Commission. The partners outlined the work they will be carrying out. The Catalonia Institute for Energy Research (IREC) will be leading the consortium composed of industry and academia. These include the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), RAMBOLL, INNOSEA, Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), Equinor, JDR cable systems, Polytechnic of Milan (POLIMI), University of Stuttgart (USTUTT), UL International GMBH, WindEurope, Cobra and Environmental Hydraulics Institute of Cantabria (IHCantabria).

The project will last 42 months and it will contribute to the achievement of EU goals on strengthening of EU leadership in renewables by reducing costs. This is achieved by developing the next generation of floating offshore wind, making it a key player in the power generation sector.

The ETIPWind fact-sheet on blade recycling: “How Wind Is Going Circular” is now available. This short publication provides a graphic overview of the main technologies for recycling composite materials and spells out the sector’s research and innovation recommendation for material development and recycling. See it here.

ETIPWind and SETWind will organise a joint conference session at WindEurope Offshore 2019. The session “Research and innovation: the outlook for offshore wind” will take place on Wednesday 27 November and will cover the next big innovations and technology developments in the wind energy sector. See more.

Launched in May 2019 the Wind Harmony study examines the potential alignment of health and safety standards – covering both onshore and offshore wind sites – from construction, operation, and maintenance, to decommissioning.

You are invited to the first Wind Harmony workshop on 22 October. The workshop will assess the opportunities and challenges to facilitating the harmonization and alignment of safe, cost – effective and responsible health and safety across the wind industry. You can find further information in the detailed agenda. The following workshop will take place in Copenhagen on 28 November at the WindEurope Offshore Conference 2019.

Please register here for the workshop on 22 October. For more information, contact Dorina Iuga at [email protected]

Launched in December 2017 SIMULWIND aims to develop a Wind Turbine Generator maintenance simulator. It will be used in the training of operation and maintenance workers. The project will end this December.

You are invited to the final project event, which will take place in Copenhagen on 28 November at the WindEurope Offshore Conference 2019. You will see the final virtual reality-training tool and take part in a debate on the virtual/online training tools in training Operation and Maintenance professionals for the wind industry. For more information, contact Dorina Iuga at [email protected]

Upcoming EU funding opportunities and Research & Innovation policy

On 17 of October WindEurope is organising a free webinar for its members with speakers from the European Commission providing an overview of upcoming H2020 calls for wind and opportunities within the Connecting Europe Facility programme. WindEurope advisors on EU funding will give you a brief introduction to available services for members to access EU funding.

To register see here.
To see the related upcoming calls please visit our members’ area here.

WindEurope participated in the recent Research & Innovation Days in Brussels (24-26 September) organised by the European Commission. The event brought together 3,000 people from industry, research and Government to debate and shape the future of research & innovation policy and the EU’s new €100bn research programme, Horizon Europe.

Horizon Europe, the successor of the Horizon2020 programme, will be built on ‘missions’. These missions will focus on societal challenges and issues that impact citizens’ life, including climate adaptation and climate-neutral cities.

Carlos Moedas (European Commissioner for Science, Research & Innovation) and Mariana Mazzucato, the influential economist behind the missions-approach, underlined the importance of Horizon Europe in accelerating the ‘just transition’ by allowing for new types of collaboration between public and private actors and leveraging other forms of investment.

Technological leadership in renewables, energy storage, transport decarbonisation, high-performance materials, exchange of intelligence, skills development and social sciences were said to be the ingredients enabling carbon neutrality and R&I policy should, therefore, invest in these. As for renewable technologies, the European Commission spoke about more support for the whole value chain and local, decentralised solutions with skills that help technologies to get to market.

An important change for Horizon Europe will be that funding will not be earmarked for specific sectors but will instead be allocated to projects based on their impact. Those submitting project proposals will have to prove that their technologies will have a positive impact. This equates to both a challenge and an opportunity for the wind industry to submit the best project proposals.

For more information visit https://ec.europa.eu/info/research-and-innovation/events/upcoming-events/european-research-and-innovation-days_en

Legal notice: The views represented in this newsletter are those of its authors and do not represent the views or official position of the European Commission.