Exciting presentations and innovative solutions for wind power: read more about our contributions to the Wind Energy Days 2022 here.
Completely booked out - the 30th Wind Energy Days were a complete success! The conference and trade event of the wind energy industry once again showed how valuable the exchange is for the wind power community. We at ENGIE actively contributed to this. With several presentations as part of our panel "Financially strong partner in turbulent times", we provided exciting impulses together with other companies of the ENGIE Group. This article summarises the most important information from our conference contributions.
The 30th Wind Energy Days took place from 8 to 10 November 2022 in Linstow in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Under the motto "Our best time", more than 2,500 participants exchanged views on the current market situation as well as economic and technical topics.
The kick-off for ENGIE at the Wind Energy Days 2022 was made by Philip Meissner. The market specialist of ENGIE Energy Management Solutions GmbH gave an insight into the current challenges of the wind industry with his presentation "Market experience report on the 'rodeo year 2022' and current opportunities". The core message: The high volatility on the market will accompany us for a longer time and active trading still remains a highly topical risk tool. In addition, IT systems and especially automation are the key to successful projects in the long term. Last but not least, Philip Meissner talked about Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), which are an absolutely worthwhile portfolio option for companies today.
The topic of PPAs in practice was addressed by our external speaker Lars Quandel. The managing partner of the consulting firm Dauerkraft GmbH, which specialises among other things in wind energy projects, explained how the project financing of wind power plants can be structured by means of PPAs. He explained that PPAs in Germany have so far been used primarily for large-scale photovoltaic projects without EEG subsidies and for offshore wind farms. But they are also worthwhile for German onshore wind farms. Lars Quandel gave an overview of what needs to be considered when structuring a project, when it is worth signing a contract and what banks require.
Tobias Heyen informed the audience why PPAs should be an integral part of the sustainability strategy of many companies. To this end, the Senior Originator at ENGIE Energy Management Solutions GmbH gave an overview of the enormous advantages of modern power supply contracts. For example, PPAs stand for a reliable green power supply, at a fixed price and with a guarantee of origin. They enable companies to calculate with certainty. Tobias Heyen went into detail about our flexible options for industrial customers and customised corporate PPA solutions.
Is there survival for wind power after EEG subsidies? Absolutely! And to this end, Gerd Töpken, Division Manager 2nd Life Wind Farms at ENGIE Deutschland Erneuerbare GmbH, together with Philipp Stukenbrock from the expert network 8.2 Consulting AG, showed the essential perspectives. The ENGIE manager explained how owners can breathe a second life into their wind farms and what practical steps need to be taken to achieve this.
"From the field - insight into our largest repowering construction site in Karstädt" - this Windenergietage 2022 contribution by Sebastian Heinisch, ENGIE Deutschland Erneuerbare GmbH, demonstrated in exemplary fashion how repowering of wind turbines succeeds in practice. During his presentation, the Senior Major Project Manager Renewable Energies spoke about the successful organisation of repowering projects. The focus was on quality assurance and safety on the construction site.
Daniel Scheu, Team Leader at ENGIE Energy Management Solutions GmbH, clarified the important role of energy storage systems in the energy transition in his presentation "Battery Empty - Opportunities and Limits of Battery Storage" - from the performance of modern devices to their areas of application and marketing potential. The expert for plant management and optimisation also provided trade fair visitors to Windenergietage 2022 with information on funding opportunities with innovation tenders.
At the end of our technical presentations at the Wind Energy Days 2022, Daniel Mercer gave promising insights: the Head of Business Development at Storengy Deutschland GmbH showed what great potential hydrogen technology has. He provided orientation with an overview of the possibilities of hydrogen-based electricity storage. In addition to a demand analysis and technical and economic considerations, he presented two storage projects of the ENGIE Group in Germany and France.
As a forward-looking driver of the energy transition, we are implementing a wide range of projects, sharing our market assessments and working on innovative solutions for our customers. Our concepts and impulses were once again well received by the conference participants this year. Innovation makes the difference! We were no less impressed by the contributions and solutions of many other exhibitors and speakers, and we are certain: thanks to the rich exchange, the wind industry is emerging as an innovative community and thus a sovereign partner to support companies in decarbonisation. We are looking forward to next year's Wind Energy Days and to presenting and discovering new ideas again.