Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark at EWEA 2012

The EWEA Annual Event 2012 in Copenhagen has now drawn to a close. But what were the main messages of the Chairs of the six themed “tracks” – from policy to financing – to the wind energy industry and politicians?

Uncertainty is very high in the market, in particular for the post-2020 years, Jan Serup Hylleberg, Chair of the policies and markets track, said at the final panel session on Thursday. “Long term stability and effective mechanisms are needed from the political side to grow the industry,” he said.

Dana Duica, Executive Director of the Romanian Wind Energy Association

Despite the ongoing financial crisis, emerging wind energy markets in Europe are expected to significantly increase installed wind power capacity by 2020, a panel session at the EWEA 2012 Annual Event in Copenhagen heard on Thursday.

Peter Brun, of Vestas, told people attending the session — Emerging European Markets: Resilient In The Crisis? — that Eastern European wind power markets are expected to make up more than 30% of annual onshore additions in Europe within 12 years time.

Renewable energy targets for 2030, investments in electricity grids and the continuation of stable national support schemes for wind power – these were three of the factors that wind industry CEOs told Martin Lidegaard, Denmark’s Energy Minister, will be key to the wind industry’s development in coming years.

“We need to know what is going to happen,” Jan Kjaersgaard, CEO of Siemens Wind Power said at a roundtable debate held at EWEA 2012 in Copenhagen. Today the industry has target certainty – with the EU’s target to increase the share of renewable energy up to 20% by 2020 – but after that there is a political vacuum.

Torben Pedersen

The continuing economic crisis has created a need for alternative sources of capital for the renewable energy sector, people attending a panel session at the EWEA 2012 Annual Event in Copenhagen heard on Wednesday. Torben Pedersen, of PensionDanmark, also said there are considerable pressures on public finances due to debt issues and on the banking sector and private investors due to the economic crisis (read an interview with Torben Pedersen in the latest Wind Directions).

As a result, Pedersen said, alternative sources of capital like pension funds may help finance large-scale investments in green infrastructure. He told the panel session — Outlook for Project Finance: The Next Three Years — that about €150 billion is needed to advance the offshore wind sector in northern Europe in the next decade.

Gian Michele Rossi, Elpower, signing up to support free movement of electricity

The EWEA 2012 Annual Event in Copenhagen may have a packed and highly informative conference agenda, but at the same time the exhibition is buzzing to the tune of inter-industry networking and teeming with show-cases of the industry’s latest innovations. We spent the afternoon talking to exhibitors and visitors on the floor…

While thousands of people were attending presentations, panel sessions and debates Tuesday at the EWEA 2012, many others strolled through the adjoining cavernous exhibition halls to learn more about wind power products and services.

With 12,000 square metres of exhibition space and 525 exhibitors at the Bella Center, there was simply something for everyone.