Clean Energy Transition

To support the necessary growth and expansion of offshore wind in order to meet the EU's 20% renewables target, several barriers need to be overcome. Low feed-in tariffs for offshore, limited and costly grid connections and complex authorisation procedures are seen as key obstacles by the offshore industry, delegates heard at the second day of the European Offshore Wind Energy Conference in Berlin.

If Europe wants to meet its 20% binding target for renewable energy by 2020, it must increase its use of offshore wind, delegates heard today at the opening of the Offshore Wind Conference in Berlin, Germany. Two concrete steps towards large scale deployment of offshore wind were taken this morning: the European Commission announced an offshore action plan for 2008, and regional cooperation was promoted through the signing of a trilateral offshore research agreement by Germany, Sweden and Denmark.

Nearly 19,000 wind turbines cover Germany: dotted across the countryside, nudging to the edge of cities and whirring alongside motorways. They generate 5 percent of Germany's electricity -- more than in any other country in the world. But with the best plots already taken, there are now few spaces left where companies are allowed to build more.

Irish-based Offshore wind energy developers today confirmed that they have projects at an advanced stage of preparation for the development of over 2,000mw of renewable energy in Irish waters at a capital cost of over €4 billion. The announcement was made by the five largest offshore wind companies in Ireland at the launch of NOW Ireland, a new organisation to promote the development of the offshore wind industry in Ireland.