News 2008
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December 13 2008 | Delaying climate agreement could costs billions in private investment, warns global wind power industry
The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) urged governments to pick up the pace of negotiations during the next 12 months in the run up to the Copenhagen summit at the end of 2009.
“We have seen very little concrete progress coming out of the Poznan talks, and time is not on our side,” said GWEC’s Secretary General, Steve Sawyer. “Private sector investors are looking to governments to prove their commitment to a post-2012 agreement. Clean energy businesses have a crucial role to play in achieving climate protection goals, but we need strong signals that governments intend to establish a clear and stable policy framework.”The private sector is expected to provide the vast majority of the investment necessary for decreasing global emissions to sustainable levels. Any delay in agreeing stringent and legally binding emissions reductions targets for the period after 2012 threatens the mobilisation of this much needed investment. “Governments need to understand that their delaying tactics and bickering over minor details threaten billions in investment that could be mobilised to help avoid the worst damages of global climate change”, said Sawyer.“Nearly 150 billion euros were invested in the clean energy sector in 2008, and we expect a similar level for 2008. Around 34 billion euros will be invested globally in the wind energy sector in 2008, and this figure is set to rise to 150 billion by 2020,” said Arthouros Zervos, GWEC Chairman. “In order to secure this investment, however, the sector needs full political commitment from governments, and a robust agreement in Copenhagen.”The wind energy sector is committed to playing a leading role in the transition to a sustainable energy economy, and estimates that the deployment of wind energy could be scaled up from the current 100 GW to over 1,000 GW by 2020, providing 2,600 TWh of clean, fuel free electricity every year. This would result in a reduction of 10 billion tonnes of CO2 by 2020, providing a substantial contribution to combating climate change.During the Wind Power Works reception organised by GWEC during the climate talks, UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner urged governments to examine the long term parameters of their economic decisions on clean technologies such as wind power.“The competitive economies of tomorrow will be built around clean energy such as wind power. There are many good examples of how wind, solar, and other renewable energy technologies are – today – providing carbon free energy while creating jobs and contributing to local economic growth, but these need to be promoted more widely. UNEP is proud to support the Wind Power Works campaign as it is perfectly aligned with our own efforts to help countries in their efforts to move towards a greener economy,” he concluded.“It is essential to mobilise private sector investment in clean technologies, especially in times of economic uncertainty,” said Steve Sawyer. “We now need to ‘mind the gap’ between the first and the second Kyoto commitment periods. Any political delay will deter this investment and jeopardise global emissions reductions.” -
December 10 2008 | Call to ministers: Climate solution businesses need clear sign of momentum from Poznan
Ministers arriving at the UNFCCC meeting in Poznan must send the business community a clear political signal that reaching a global deal on climate in Copenhagen is their priority.
Poznan is the first opportunity since the financial crisis for government leaders to signal that they remain committed to the Bali timetable for adopting an effective framework to incentivise businesses providing climate solutions by the end of 2009.
A grouping of associations representing businesses that provide climate solutions - including the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA), the International Council for Sustainable Energy (ICSE), the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) and the Carbon Markets & Investors Association (CMIA) – highlighted the urgent need for government action to improve the confidence of businesses at the helm of the transition to a global low carbon economy.
“Governments need to instil the confidence necessary for the mobilisation of private capital and bring an end to the cycle of policy-induced boom and bust,” said Adam Nathan, Director of Communications of the CMIA.
“Despite the recession, governments must reach agreement on 2020 targets in Copenhagen because prolonged policy risk will discourage investment. Targets are essential to help businesses understand ambition levels.”
“Deployment of sustainable energy and clean energy technologies is the foundation for stable, competitive and efficient economies,” said Lisa Jacobson, Executive Director of the US Business Council for Sustainable Energy.
“Government stimulus packages need to ensure they are investing in the clean energy supply chain to create the green jobs that are needed to underpin this next phase of economic activity.
“Policymakers need to incentivise private sector capital at scale in order for renewable technology to drive us forward to a low-carbon economy,” said Steve Sawyer, Secretary General of the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC). “Instead of reinventing the wheel, governments need to build on what we have, using international instruments like the CDM alongside national policies.”
“Private sector financing will come in response to policy: an effective and widely-applied carbon price is one of the most efficient signals that governments can send. If negotiators want to design new or expanded incentives, they need to do so in a dialogue with business. The existing channels of communication with closely-involved business are, unfortunately, only occasional and very narrow,” said Henry Derwent of IETA.
Contact:
Angelika Pullen +32 472 947 966
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December 06 2008 | Wind Power Works Pavilion Scedule
COP14 Poznan Scedule
From Thursday 4 December through Thursday 11 December, the Global Wind Energy Council will open the doors of the Wind Power Works Pavilion (Hall 11). During the 8 days there will be over 30 side events and receptions hosted by a variety of organizations; a photo exhibition, free coffee, snacks and wifi. -
December 04 2008 | Kyoto Protocol mechanisms driving investment in green energy
Poznan, 4 December 2008. As world leaders are meeting in Poznan for the start of the COP 14 climate talks on 1-12 December 2008, one local energy provider is reaping the benefits of the Kyoto protocol to produce emissions free power.The Lake Ostrowo wind farm 300km to the North-West of Poznan, is testimony to the opportunities for green investment which the Kyoto process opened up. Supplying 35,000 homes with clean electricity, Lake Ostrowo is part of a flourishing wind power market in Poland with the government aiming for 2,000 megawatts of turbine capacity by 2010.
Set up as a Joint Implementation (JI) project, one of the flexible mechanisms of the Kyoto Protocol, the Farm is run by Danish company DONG Energy. JI projects generate emission reduction units (ERU) in transition economies, including former soviet states and Eastern European countries that can be used by industrialised countries to help them meet their own Kyoto target.“This example shows how the flexible mechanisms of the Kyoto Protocol can act as a driver for clean energy investments in transition economies. Given their vast potential for wind energy, we believe that JI can continue to channel investment into wind energy in these countries,” says Steve Sawyer, Secretary General of the Global Wind Energy Council. “The future of these mechanisms will be discussed at the climate talks, and we are hoping for a robust new climate agreement, which will further underpin the drive for clean energy.”The Joint Implementation initiative is supported by the Danish government through the allocation of more than 336,000 ERUs (Emissions Reduction Units) over the period 2008-2012. Polish law also places an obligation on all energy producers to supply 10% of their electricity from greenhouse gas free sources by 2010. A wind farm like Lake Ostrowo can earn green certificates for every unit of electricity it supplies, adding to the income from the project.“The fact that we could initiate the wind farm as a Joint Implementation project made it more attractive for us, because it erased the largest economic risks,” says Arne Levorsen from the Renewables division of DONG Energy.Lake Ostrowo wind farm has boosted tourism in the historic Wolin district as visitors and prospective developers have come to share the experience. The site has also become a favoured site for newly weds to pose for photographs.
NOTES TO CORRESPONDENTS• Lake Ostrowo comprises 17 turbines with a capacity of 1.8 MW manufactured by Danish company Vestas
• The total capacity is 30.6 MW, one of the largest in Poland
• Annual electricity production is 90 million kWh, equivalent to supplying 35,000 Polish households
• The wind farm was opened in September 2007
• Lake Ostrowo wind farm created 100 jobs during its construction
• The wind farm has boosted tourism in the area and produced tax income for the municipality
• The wind farm will annually save Poland 80,000 tonnes of CO2, 240 tonnes of nitrogen oxide and 100 tonnes of dust
• The 17 turbines spin in harmony with the rich bird life of the area, which is home to 230 species
Contacts:Angelika Pullen, GWEC: +32 473 947 966
Jo Frost, Communications INC: +44 7736 032 430
Arne Levorsen, DONG Energy: + 45 9955 7665
Anna Paslawska, EPA: + 48 91 42 52 955
Ryszard Banaszkiewicz, Wolin Museum: +48 913262019 or +48 601823787
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December 04 2008 | Poznan climate talks: Wind industry calls for ambitious targets for reducing carbon emissions
Coalition launches global campaign to demonstrate the potential of wind energy
Poznan, 4 December 2008. Wind energy is on track to saving 10 billion tons of CO2 by 2020, according to a coalition of wind energy companies, associations and NGOs launching a global campaign at the COP14 climate summit in the Polish city of Poznan today.With the Wind Power Works campaign (www.windpowerworks.net), the wind industry will demonstrate to global decision makers that wind energy is the leading power generation technology with the ability to achieve substantial cuts in CO2 emissions in the crucial timeframe up to 2020. By this time, global emissions need to peak and start to decline if we are to avoid the most disastrous effects of climate change.“Already today, wind energy is working in over 70 countries around the world, saving hundreds of millions of tons of CO2 emissions and delivering clean, reliable energy. However, for wind energy to meet its full potential we need ambitious and legally binding emissions reduction targets and expanded carbon market mechanisms to facilitate the broadest dissemination of wind power. Wind is the leading electricity generation technology that can deliver major emissions reductions in the critical timeframe up to 2020,” said GWEC’s Secretary General Steve Sawyer.In its recently published ‘Wind Energy Outlook 2008’, GWEC set out a scenario under which wind energy could provide 12% of global electricity needs and save 1.5 billion tonnes of CO2 every year by 2020. This would add up to 10 billion tonnes of CO2 mitigated by wind power within this time frame.“Wind energy has a massive potential to deliver cost effective, reliable and clean energy virtually anywhere in the world, but in order to realise this, we need the political will by governments to reduce emissions to a sustainable level,” said Peter Brun, Senior Vice President of Government Relations of Vestas Wind Systems, the world’s largest wind turbine manufacturer. “We are here in Poznań to call on global leaders to match their words with action, and to make them realize that existing mature technology can play a significant role in the CO2 abatement solution in the short term.”At the press conference, 3TIER, an independent provider of global renewable energy assessment and forecasting, unveiled a 5 kilometer resolution global wind map. The map is based on a new 3TIER dataset, which is the most accurate, consistent and comprehensive dataset ever created of global wind resources and their spatial and temporal variability.“Lack of information about the wind resource is one of the biggest barriers to global adoption of wind energy – not the technological ability to harness it,” explained Ken Westrick, CEO of 3TIER. “This map is intended to accelerate the adoption of wind energy development by identifying the value of the wind resource at any location around the world. It will allow developers, financiers and governments to identify the best regions in the world for wind energy development.”Between COP14 and the COP15 climate change negotiations in December 2009 in Copenhagen, the Wind Power Works coalition will promote aggressive emissions reductions targets and a rapid deployment of wind energy around the world.
The Wind Power Works campaign is global, and includes a a monthly series of 12 case studies of wind power in action The first case study is the wind farm at Lake Ostrowo near Wolin in Poland, which demonstrates the investment incentives created by the Kyoto Protocol’s flexible mechanisms.In Poznan, the campaign is staging a series of side events, a photo exhibition and receptions at the Wind Power Works Pavilion situated in Hall 11 of the Poznan International Fair.
Contact:
Angelika Pullen, GWEC: +32 473 947 966 or +48 785 401 140
Jo Frost, Communications INC: +44 7736 032 430For more information:
On the campaign: www.windpowerworks.net
On the global wind map: www.remappingtheworld.com
On the Global Wind Energy Council: www.gwec.net
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November 13 2008 | New Report: 10 billion tonnes saved by 2020
Wind power is key technology to prevent dangerous climate change.
Wind power could produce 12% of the world’s energy needs and save 10 billion tones of CO2 within 12 years, according to a new report published today.
The ‘Global Wind Energy Outlook 2008’, published by the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) and Greenpeace International, looks at the global potential of wind power up to 2050 and found that it could play a key part in achieving a decline in emissions by 2020, which the IPCC indicates is necessary to avoid the worst consequences of climate change. By 2020, wind power could save as much as 1.5 billion tonnes of CO2 every year, which would add up to over 10 billion tonnes in this timeframe.
The report also explains how wind energy can provide up to 30% of the world’s electricity by the middle of the century.
“We only have a few years to achieve a decline in global CO2 emissions and wind power is going to have to play a major part in that. No other technology can come close to delivering the required new power generation capacity without emissions in that time frame,” said GWEC Secretary General Steve Sawyer. “It is the only reliable emissions-free energy technology ready for massive deployment now, but governments have to act decisively to make this happen.”
The report was launched at the Global Wind Power conference in Beijing. China has the world’s fastest growing wind power market and is expected to become the biggest manufacturer of wind energy equipment by the end of 2009.
The report explores three different scenarios for wind power – a Reference Scenario based on figures from the International Energy Agency (IEA); a Moderate version that assumes that current targets for renewable energy are successful; and an Advanced Scenario that assumes that all policy options in favour of renewables have been adopted. These are then set against two demand projections for global energy demand.
Wind energy has already become a mainstream power generation source in many regions around the world, and it is being deployed in over 70 countries. In addition to environmental benefits, wind energy also provides a sustainable answer to increasing concerns about security of energy supply and volatile fossil fuel prices.
Moreover, wind energy is becoming a substantial factor in economic development, providing more than 350,000 ‘green collar’ jobs today both in direct and indirect employment. By 2020, this figure is projected to increase to over 2 million.
The existing power sector emits around 40% of global carbon dioxide emissions and there are only three options to substantially reduce these emissions between now and 2020: energy efficiency, fuel switching, and renewables, predominantly wind power.
“Greenpeace expects wind power to play a leading role in a fossil fuel free electricity system of the future. Without wind power, we won’t be able to cut global emissions by the necessary levels,” said Sven Teske, Greenpeace International’s Senior Energy Expert. “This report is based on Greenpeace’s new Energy [R]evolution scenarios, which show that wind power can make a real difference between now and 2020. We urge governments to support wind power with a robust climate agreement, the necessary electricity market reforms and by cutting down subsidies for fossil fuels and nuclear energy.”
“This report demonstrates that wind technology is not a dream for the future – it is working now, and it can be deployed on a large scale very rapidly,” said Arthouros Zervos, GWEC’s Chairman. “The political choices of the coming years will determine the world’s environmental and economic situation for many decades to come. The wind industry stands ready to do its part in what the UN Secretary General has described as ‘the defining struggle of the 21st century’. With sufficient political will and the right frameworks, it could do even more.”
A coalition of wind companies, associations and NGOs will launch a campaign at the climate meeting in Poznan in December, to increase government action on wind energy. Entitled ‘Wind Power Works’, the campaign will run for a year until the COP 15 climate talks in Copenhagen, December 2009.
Global Wind Energy Council, Rue d'Arlon 63-65, 1040 Brussels, Belgium, Tel: +32 2 400 1029, Fax: +32 2 546 1944, Email: info@gwec.net