Aim of DemoWind 2:
Summary: The overall aim of the DemoWind 2 ERANET Cofund is to stimulate offshore wind cost reduction through facilitating a joint transnational Call for proposals for offshore wind innovation projects which have the potential to reduce the cost of offshore wind energy in Europe and so facilitate greater or faster deployment of offshore wind in Europe to contribute to the European Union (EU)’s climate change targets.
The proposed DemoWind 2 ERA-NET Co-Fund Joint Call will result in grants to third parties to fund innovative transnational projects, focused on demonstrating and validating solutions to support the commercialization of technologies that can deliver cost reduction in offshore wind energy. Based on the funding proposed for DemoWind 2 and on comparisons with earlier national demonstration programmes, the aim for DemoWind 2 is to support the demonstration and validation of technologies which could lead to cost savings of up to 8% in the levelised cost of offshore wind energy. This technology driven cost reduction should contribute to the 50% reduction in offshore wind costs targeted by the offshore wind industry for 2030.
DemoWind 2 is intended to accelerate the demonstration of offshore wind technologies and increasing deployment of these technologies by establishing a credible path to the introduction of affordable and innovative devices and systems to the market. The increased deployment of clean offshore wind technologies is expected to lead to less reliance on fossil burning technologies, therefore contributing to the decarbonisation of the European energy system. The development of the offshore wind sector supported by DemoWind 2 should lead to new job creation and growth opportunities in Europe, including more low carbon cutting edge technologies being exported globally.
The project’s specific objectives are:
• To maintain and grow Europe’s leading position in offshore wind by reinforcing collaboration within the European offshore wind sector and by alignment of national research and demonstration programmes.
• To progress the most promising cost reducing innovative offshore wind technologies towards commercialisation by funding transnational demonstration and validation activities which progress the technologies to demonstration and validation of prototype or pilot systems in realistic or operational environments.
• To involve a wide range of industrial partners in transnational, innovative projects, including strong SME representation and appropriate larger industrial representation.
• To stimulate significant private sector funding, with a target of securing as much industrial co-funding as possible, by using European and transnational public sector innovation funding to.
• To contribute to a doubling of offshore wind project investment in the EU in 2020 compared with 2014 by increasing market confidence in offshore wind technologies.
• To promote continued offshore wind sector collaboration and build momentum for SET Plan implementation by building on the work of the first DemoWind Co-Fund to in successive Calls and potential additional activities.
• To work with existing international industry bodies looking at innovation and cost reduction in offshore wind, including the OWA Europe programme, to establish greater collaboration within the offshore wind community, to promote wider dissemination and uptake of technologies supported by DemoWind and to facilitate further cost-reduction projects, beyond the main Joint Co-funded Call, without Commission top-up.
