Future for wind demands extended risk management
The wind power industry is all set for a strong future over the coming decades, with a period of sustained and accelerating growth. DNV predicts in its 2017 Energy Transition Outlook report that installed capacity will reach 670 GW in 2020, rising to 2000 GW in 2030 and 9000 GW in 2050.
The widespread growth indicates that countries are increasingly looking to wind as part of a renewable energy mix that will help them meet national and international emissions goals and growing demand for electricity.
To ensure a rapid and global transition of the energy landscape, the wind energy industry is working hard to drive down costs by adopting new technologies and business models. However, anything “new” – whether it is new turbines and technologies, or new projects in unknown locations based on proven technologies – brings potential risks: will it work, be safe, deliver the power outputs and financial returns predicted? As the scale of wind farms and the fraction of wind energy in the global power mix increase, the question of how to address that risk becomes ever more critical.
As certification is one of the key tools in addressing and managing risk, it is evident that certification itself needs to equally develop to actively support the upcoming growth and innovation of the wind energy industry. To address the question on how certification needs to evolve DNV have carried out a survey of key stakeholders in the industry. There were several instances where specific industry groups suggested that certification could add even more value if it continued to deepen the technical insight into the design phase, lifetime extension or in-service.
We believe that the road ahead of us is best explored collaboratively and invite all concerned parties to join us in discussions to shape the certification scope and technical foundation to ensure certification delivers the requested support by the industry. Now and in the future.
To learn more, download our report.