The Spanish wind energy industry responds to the technical and innovation challenges that lie ahead in the Energy Transition.
Rocío Sicre, president of AEE, said at the opening of the day that “the wind power sector is committed to addressing the technical challenges that we will face in the Energy Transition. For this, it will be necessary to have a political consensus, regulatory stability and a medium-term remuneration visibility for industrial decision-making, in addition to the coordination between energy, industrial and innovation policies”.
From left to right: Ángeles Heras Caballero, Secretary of State for Universities, Research, Development and Innovation; Rocío Sicre, president of AEE; and Juan Virgilio Márquez, general director of AEE, at the inauguration of the International Day of Operational Analysis of Wind Farms.
Prof.
Dr. Ángeles Heras Caballero, Secretary of State for Universities,
Research, Development and Innovation of the Ministry of Science,
Innovation and Universities has highlighted a hopeful future for the
sector “being numerous companies currently working in the development of
algorithms to perform the advanced diagnosis of the parks. This
proactive attitude shown by the wind sector is indicated to carry out
the energy transition and decarbonization of the economy and, at the
same time, the best way to remain positioned in that leadership of which
we are proud. ”
“Like any industrial sector, wind power has
reached maturity 20 years after the start of the first wind farms.
Therefore, more than 8,000 MW have exceeded 15 years of useful life and
about 2,000 MW are close to completing it. This implies advancing in the
knowledge of the technology beyond the initial design threshold to know
the durability of the components, the degree of reliability of the same
and detect new solutions for the advanced maintenance of wind turbines
and wind farms ”said Rocío Sicre today , president of the Spanish Wind
Energy Association (AEE), at the opening ceremony of the International
Day on Operational Analysis of Wind Farms.
“The future scenario
is marked by the existence of technologies with varying degrees of
seniority, which must respond to the demanding technical and economic
conditions of the electricity supply, which will condition the current
and future exploitation of wind farms,” ??Sicre said, adding that the
most notable future challenges in the sector are the consolidation of
hybridization, the use of storage, hydrogen production, the use of Big
Data and the creation of digital models, the repowering of wind turbines
in existing wind farms, as well as the fulfillment of the network codes
of the new facilities. “All of them complex issues, which have been
debated for some time and will be analyzed on this day, and that place
us in an environment of challenges, but also of opportunities that can
be achieved by acting with long-term responsibility and macro vision, in
addition of having the necessary regulatory stability, political
consensus and coordination between energy, industrial and innovation
policies, ”said the president of AEE.
2019 has been a turning
point for the wind industry. The power that has been installed so far
this year and the one that remains to be installed from the 2016 and
2017 auctions before the end of the year, shows the relaunch of the wind
sector in Spain. Currently, wind is the 2nd technology in the energy
mix with 19% coverage of electricity demand, employs more than 22,500
people, prevents the emission of 25 million tons per year of CO2,
stimulates local investment, is the fourth exporter of wind turbines and
fifth for installed power in the world with 23,484 MW.
The main
technological challenges that exist in the field of innovation and the
improvement of the maintenance of wind farms have been the plot of the
more than 20 papers that have been presented during the day. A meeting
of high technical level that has brought together more than 200
professionals and more than 20 speakers from the national and
international wind industry.
Prof. Dr. Ángeles Heras Caballero, Secretary of State for Universities, Research, Development and Innovation of the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, has inaugurated the International Day on Operational Analysis of Wind Farms, highlighting the work of the wind sector “as a reference for the excellent work done by SMEs and large companies, in collaboration with universities and technological and research centers. The sector has perfectly executed public-private collaboration, which affects the improvement of competitiveness and its strengthening, while creating added value and quality employment ”. Likewise, the Secretariat has expressed the interest of the Government of Spain to increase the budget dedicated to R + D + I in a continuous and sustained manner, in addition to promoting the transfer of knowledge between the public and private sectors, and the increase in human resources in all areas of research and innovation.
The conference was attended, for the third consecutive year, by a delegation of Danish companies, which consider this event as a reference point for the analysis of the operational improvement of wind farms. Specifically, this year, the delegation has been represented by 21 professionals from 11 companies, thanks to the collaboration of the Danish Wind Export Association and the Danish Embassy.
The International Day on Operational Analysis of Wind Farms has received VIP sponsorship from EDP Renováveis, Endesa, Iberdrola, Naturgy, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, UL, Vestas and Viesgo.
The Spanish Wind Energy Association (AEE) is the voice of the wind sector in Spain and defends its interests. With nearly 200 associated companies, it represents more than 90% of the sector in the country, which includes developers, manufacturers of wind turbines and components, national and regional associations, organizations linked to the sector, consultants, lawyers and financial and insurance entities, among others.
