EWEA Offshore 2015

Taking place in Copenhagen 10-12 March 2015, EWEA Offshore 2015 claims to be the world’s largest offshore wind energy conference and exhibition. Year after year, EWEA Offshore attracts thousands of offshore wind energy professionals from Europe and beyond, including manufacturers, developers, operations and maintenance, and logistics and installation professionals from over 50 countries. 2015 will be no exception.

OPPORTUNITIES IN OFFSHORE WIND
Offshore wind power is providing synergies to industries long associated with using the world’s oceans — from ship building to ports and from marine manufacturing to the oil and gas industry.

The potential of the offshore wind industry is opening up opportunities for marine sectors to get involved. Offshore wind is a young industry and its supply chain is expanding rapidly. It requires special offshore turbines and foundations that can withstand high winds and waves but also adapted ports, vessels and cables. Knowledge sharing and transfer with industries such as oil and gas with years of experience working at sea in the energy sector, of laying foundations and subsea cables and building transformer stations, is essential.

The shipbuilding sector has found great business opportunities in the transportation of the huge turbine blades, towers and foundations, which require specially adapted vessels. The list goes on: marine engineering, the steel industry, and even information technology, as there is a need for software and electronics to perform seabed modelling and support turbine monitoring.

The current downward pressure on offshore wind’s cost of energy means dovetailing with these new sectors to make installations and operations increasingly efficient is all the more valuable. With such a vast range of potential connection and overlap, the companies which look ahead and get involved in the offshore wind sector now are those which will reap the benefits.

ENGINEERING, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION
This year, EWEA Offshore 2015 will be encouraging participants to “think bigger”. What can the industry do to keep on evolving and reduce costs?

Reducing cost will be a big part of the industry’s future. “It is my vision and expectation that 2015 will be the year where we will see clear evidence that the offshore wind industry is on track to deliver on our committed aspiration to reduce cost,” Samuel Leupold, DONG Energy’s Executive Vice President for wind power, said.

Executives will need to guide their companies toward closer collaboration within the value chain in order to achieve that aspiration and to support the continued growth of the industry. Sharing knowledge and cooperating in innovation will help drive the industry toward its goal of reducing costs and becoming more competitive within the energy market.

Engineers, developers and executives will have the chance to unite and address these challenges in 24 insightful conference sessions led by the brightest thinkers in the industry. Covering 9 topics from science and research to supply chain and operations & maintenance.

The conference kicks off the first two days with C-level plenary sessions, gathering industry leaders from the supply chain. Participants will have the chance to ask questions and challenge industry leaders as to whether they think the industry can deliver, collaborate and succeed in putting the industry on the right path towards becoming a mature energy source.

Moreover, a gallery of over 200 technical posters will display cutting-edge innovations in offshore wind, while the networking events will bring key contacts together, helping participants to forge new business leads.

BIG PLAYERS IN THE EXHIBITION
With 3 exhibition halls, this event features the who’s who of the offshore wind industry from across the whole of the supply chain, including 10 pavilions. More than 400 companies will be showcasing innovative products and services from the offshore wind market. The exhibition also features a new pavilion housing first time exhibitors to this exhibition. With a speakers’ corner and live TV interviews carried out by Windpower Monthly, the exhibition halls are sure to be a vibrant place and hive of business activity during this three-day event.

Once again, the event will welcome the who’s who of the whole spectrum of the offshore wind energy supply chain, making it the ideal place to make new contacts and build partnerships. Onsite social and networking events include B2B networking, delegation tours, not to mention the high-level conference dinner which will take place this year at the National Museum in Copenhagen.
More information: http://www.ewea.org/offshore2015/

By Jake Frith