Offshore wind energy is widely seen as a secure, reliable energy source that can provide answers to today’s climate change and energy security threats. This week the strength of the industry will be evident in Amsterdam as delegates begin to gather for the world’s largest offshore wind energy conference and exhibition.

Packed with informative sessions on topics ranging from the cutting-edge turbine technology of the future to the nitty-gritty of offshore electricity grid planning, the conference will cover all the issues the offshore sector faces today.

As people begin gathering at next week’s OFFSHORE 2011 conference in Amsterdam, it’s a safe bet that some conversations will focus on a just-released book  by the International Energy Agency (IEA) which says wind power and other renewables are now the fastest-growing sector of the energy mix.

The book — Deploying Renewables 2011: Best and Future Policy Practice — adds that wind power and other renewables offer great potential to address issues of energy security and sustainability, but their rapid deployment is also bringing a host of challenges.

The sea may seem like a vast and empty place, but it is a potential conflict zone for the many sea-users. From fisheries to oil and gas, tourism to offshore wind energy, shipping lanes to military zones, sea space has many people vying for its use  – and these conflicting interests will be the subject of a stimulating debate chaired by Anne-Bénédicte Genachte, EWEA’s regulatory affairs advisor at OFFSHORE 2011.

“Proper maritime spatial planning brings multiple benefits,” Genachte says, including reducing the time needed for permitting procedures, providing investors with certainty and reducing the costs of offshore projects.

Genachte is looking forward to discussing all the issues surrounding maritime spatial planning at her session alongside expert speakers from the European Commission, SEANERGY 2020 and E.ON among others.

EU Energy ministers will, for the first time, discuss the European Commission’s draft proposals for a €9.1 billion infrastructure package published in October.

At discussions in Luxembourg today, they will hear a first “exchange of views” on the plan, in which “electricity networks must be upgraded and modernised to meet increasing electricity demand”. The proposal aims not only at the physical infrastructure for energy, but also at the “full integration of the internal energy market”, to “ensure security of supply in the Union, to promote energy efficiency and…the interconnection of energy networks”, a European Council briefing said.

This time next week Amsterdam will be a hive of activity for anyone interested in the offshore wind energy sector. We spoke to Heiko Ross from Windreich to uncover what he thinks will be the hot topics at his session at EWEA’s OFFSHORE 2011 conference…

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