Europe must repeat the industrial adventure of renewable energy in onshore turbines by referring to the offshore industry as unique and by creating new forms of public–private partnerships, says Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, former Prime Minister of Denmark and Chairman of the Lindoe Offshore Renewables Center. On Tuesday, 20 April he will open the four day European Wind Energy Conference in Warsaw.
“Offshore wind energy will be decisive for Europe’s ability to build a greener future. From our Danish experience in the onshore generation of electricity, based on wind power, we know that it takes investments to establish a globally leading industry. Europe should learn from these experiences”, says Poul Nyrup Rasmussen.
The keywords of the proposed strategy are public-private partnerships, R&D, and incentives for investments along with the integration of wind power generation in the overall energy strategy of the Community:
“It takes investments, investments, and investments and it demands a strong will among the European countries to succeed in becoming a world leader in the offshore wind power generation of electricity. However, EU countries must remember that the establishment of the offshore wind industry will pay off with the creation of more than 6 million jobs”, says Poul Nyrup Rasmussen.
Please read about the Lindoe Offshore Renewables Center in Denmark here
Due to flight restrictions Poul Nyrup Rasmussen was unable to give his speech in Warsaw during the European Wind Energy Conference. However, you can see his power point presentation here