GWEC creates new offshore wind taskforce

1 November 2018


The Global Wind Energy Council has created a taskforce dedicated to accelerating the growth of offshore wind energy in non-European markets.

The industry association says that there is a huge opportunity for offshore wind energy to be deployed around the world, but different regions have different needs depending on wind and sea bed conditions. The industry needs to make sure that it is developing and deploying the appropriate technologies, says Henrik Stiesdal, GWEC’s Global Offshore Wind Ambassador.

The Taskforce will be chaired by Alastair Dutton, who played a key role in the creation of the UK’s successful offshore wind industry with roles at The Crown Estate and in government at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. The TaskfForce will be made up of leading developers, investors and manufacturers in the sector, as well as technical experts and inter-governmental organisations.

“Offshore wind has already become a mainstream power source in Europe, accounting for the lion’s share of new power capacity in the UK and a significant share in countries such as Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark,” said GWEC CEO Ben Backwell. “Now more and more countries are starting to see the advantage of offshore wind, and the technology is in a position to become truly global.”

According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF), the global offshore wind market is set to grow at a 16 % annual compound rate from 2017 to 2030, reaching a cumulative capacity of 115 GW compared to 17.6 GW today. China is set to overtake the current leader the UK and lead installations by 2022, while Taiwan and the US will also reach 1 GW per year of annual installations in the next decade.

The Offshore Wind Taskforce initiative is being supported by some of the leading companies in the sector, including Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, Iberdrola, Ørsted and MHI-Vestas. It will carry out a number of tasks, including advising governments on regulatory frameworks, fostering technology innovation, and spreading best practice expertise.



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