Page 59 - European Energy Innovation - Spring 2017 publication
P. 59
Spring 2017 European Energy Innovation 59
WIND ENERGY
upscaling in the industry. Technological Despite the steady progress there COLLABORATING FOR IMPACT
improvements have been steady and is still a long way to go. ECN plays a ECN Wind Energy is a group of 50
largely incremental, with the most special role in this process by bridging experts focusing on offshore wind
visible technology trend being ever academia with industry. Together energy cost reduction and engaging
increasing turbine size. Today the new with its partners, ECN brings new in numerous collaborative research
turbine of choice is 8MW, while in 2000 technologies, processes and systems programmes. The five-year Dutch
offshore turbines were in the 1MW to the market for sector and industry shared research programme FLOW
range. growth. (Far and Large Offshore Wind) had a
significant share in the realisation of
the large cost reduction since 2010. In
this programme, all aspects of offshore
wind power have been researched—
from foundation design, through to
installation, improved operation and
maintenance and arranging electrical
connections reliably and efficiently.
In 2016, the successor programme,
named GROW, has been defined with
the Dutch research institutes and 15
companies. These companies—from
wind turbine manufacturers, offshore
contractors through to ship builders—
have committed to invest close to
50 million euro in a 100 million euro
programme. Together with research
institutes and universities they will
realise a further cost reduction for
offshore wind, thus stimulating
the Dutch green economy and
strengthening the dominant position of
the Dutch offshore sector.
In the Netherlands, priorities for
energy research are set and organised
through the ’Top Sector Energy’ . Top
Sectors are the sectors in which the
Netherlands excels globally and which
receive high government priority.
The Top Sector Energy consists of
seven Top Consortia for Knowledge &
Innovation (TKIs) which provide a forum
for the business community, research
institutions and the government to
work together on sustainable growth.
The TKI Offshore Wind coordinates and
prioritises the research efforts to realise
cost reductions and stimulate economic
growth. Collaboration among the
European R&D institutes further
increases the impact and international
collaborative projects supported by EU
www.europeanenergyinnovation.eu
