The European Wind Energy Association has been the voice of the wind industry for nearly three decades and its annual event is a prime opportunity for its member organisations to discuss the future. CEO Thomas Becker outlines how attendees can steer the sector’s development.
The last few years have not been kind to the European economy and many challenges remain. However, there is no doubt that a thorough modernisation of the EU’s energy supply will play a key role in solving Europe’s economic woes. The wind industry must therefore be poised to assert its importance and demonstrate its benefits to the economy and society as a whole.
EWEA 2014 is the place to be for companies looking to stay bang up to date with developments in the EU and wider world – and those that are keen to make the most of existing and future opportunities.
The European Wind Energy Association (EWEA), the voice of the wind industry, has extensive experience of organising in-house events, and has been successfully leading discussions on wind industry developments for more than 25 years. The EWEA annual event is now the highlight of the European wind industry calendar, attracting wind industry professionals from across the globe.
Wind energy is the future
Next year’s event, which takes place in Barcelona, Spain, from 10-13 March 2014, promises to be better than ever, and will be the first to be staged under the dynamic leadership of Thomas Becker, who became chief executive of the organisation in April 2013. He is adamant that the industry must show regulators, fossil-fuel competitors and utility companies that wind is without a doubt the energy supply of the future. The EWEA 2014 event is the best place to do just that.
"By working together, we can show that wind is the future," says Becker. "We need to put pressure on EU decision-makers to adopt a strong 2030 renewable energy target in order to give the EU a chance of achieving its aim of creating a carbon-free society by 2050, and to provide the certainty the wind industry needs to keep on growing. Wind power can compete with fossil fuels and nuclear without any subsidies if we have a level playing field. We need to get this message out loud and clear, and the best way of doing this is to work together. EWEA 2014 offers a unique chance for companies to learn, discuss and plan."
During more than 20 fact-packed sessions covering technology, science and research, finance, international markets, and business and policy, the conference will address the topics that matter. Together with EWEA, Mike Anderson, group technical director at RES Group, Michael Muskulus, president of the European Academy for Wind Energy, and Siemens Wind Power’s technical officer Henrik Stiesdal, have – in collaboration with abstract reviewers and session chairs – spent countless hours ensuring that EWEA 2014’s technical agenda is relevant, cutting edge and led by voices of the highest calibre.
Getting back to business
The main theme of the conference will be ‘getting back to business’. The business and policy track will look at how the wind industry can pull out of the crisis that has affected Europe, examine lessons that can be learned from other sectors and debate how the wind industry brand can be used to promote the industry.
From kilowatts to multimegawatts, the industry has come a long way in a few short years, but what are the technological challenges that remain today and who is bringing novel solutions to the table? These questions will be answered during the hardware technology track.
The resource assessment track will concentrate on how much wind can be generated under different conditions, the accuracy of new measuring equipment and where the industry may be in ten years time.
While the EU context is clearly important, wind is most definitely a global business, and EWEA 2014 will welcome the international agenda and developments outside EU borders. The business and policy track will consider the industry’s international context and global skills gaps, while practical workshops will look at doing business in selected markets outside Europe.
International focus
The conference will be accompanied by an impressive exhibition providing networking and business opportunities for all companies present. As well as strong representation from Denmark, Germany, Spain and the UK, the exhibition will welcome companies from 17 other countries.
EWEA events always draw high-quality visitors, attracting CEOs and decision-makers not only from regional branches but also from corporate headquarters, and this year will be no exception. 2014 will also see a strong focus on attracting business delegations from Latin America in order to promote an international exchange of experience and initiate projects between Europe and developing markets in Argentina, Brazil, Chile and beyond.