Projects

POWER cluster
Developing the North Sea Offshore Wind Power Cluster


Summary

As a direct successor of the IIIB POWER project, POWER cluster was centred on the development of a strong Offshore Wind Industry (OWI) cluster in the North Sea Region. Core activities included a strengthened stakeholder and business-to-business network, energy grid reinforcement across the North Sea Region, developed skills training courses (including higher education and addressing unemployment) and raising acceptance among the wider public as a basis for wider roll-out of wind energy installations.

Duration
01/07/2008 - 30/06/2011
Priority
1 - Building on our Capacity for Innovation
Area of Intervention
1.2 Building the transnational dimension of clusters and research and innovation networks
ERDF Grant
2,326,485.00 €
ERDF Equivalent
172,986.00 €
Total Eligible Budget
4,998,942.00 €
Lead Beneficiary
BIS Bremerhavener Gesellschaft für Investitionsförderung und Stadtentwicklung mbH, Germany
Mathias Grabs
grabs@bis-bremerhaven.de
Tel: +49 (0)471 946 46 741
Project Homepage
Beneficiaries per Country
Germany
BIS Bremerhavener Gesellschaft für Investitionsförderung und Stadtentwicklung mbH
Senator für Umwelt, Bau, Verkehr und Europa des Landes Bremen (SUBVE)
Hochschule Bremerhaven (HS BHV)
Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg (UNI OL)
Stiftung Offshore Windenergie (SOW)
Landesregierung Schleswig- Holstein, Ministerium für Wissenschaft, Wirtschaft und Verkehr (WIMI SH)
Wirtschaftsakademie Schleswig-Holstein GmbH (WAK)
Berufliche Schule für Technik
United Kingdom
Suffolk County Council Environment & Transport (SCC)
East of England Energy Group (EEEGr)
Northumberland College (NC)
Denmark
South Denmark European Office (SDEO)
Offshore Center Danmark (OCD)
Aalborg Universiteit Department of Civil Engineering (AAU)
The Netherlands
Technische Universiteit Delft, Section Wind Energy, Faculty LR (TUD)
Norway
Greater Stavanger (GS)
Sweden
Chalmers University of Technology, Dept. of Energy + Environment, Div. of Electric Power Eng. (CHA)
Öckerö kommun (ÖCK)
Background and Aim

Aim
By connecting different sectors and different levels of government and administration, POWER cluster established a sustainable offshore wind cluster. Innovation and learning within the cluster was enhanced. The combined parts of the supply chain allowed for wider economic development to take place through a series of multiplier effects in income, employment, research and productivity performance.

The main aims were to make the North Sea Region:

  • a better place to live in, by reducing emissions and securing energy supply, as well as informing people and raising awareness about the positive impacts of offshore wind energy (including environmental concerns and job creation effects)
  • a better place to work in, by tackling the impacts of demographic change in the different regions, reintegrating unemployed and/or senior labour force, securing and creating jobs in areas in industrial decline and restructuring
  • a better place to invest in and export from, by stimulating the growth of the offshore wind industry, which supported maintaining its world leading role in this future oriented and innovative sector, triggering inward and outward investments.


Background
The offshore wind industry (OWI) is at a turning point, with the first large scale offshore wind farms (OWF) being built over the next years. However, the industry still has to overcome substantial challenges to meet the ambitious targets for offshore wind set at national/EU levels.

The regions have varied settings, due to their diverse domestic wind markets, and are characterized by individual strengths and weaknesses. Whilst no individual region can demonstrate excellence in every aspect of the supply chain, together, the individual regions have full capability throughout all identifiable supply chain activities.

There was a clear benefit of establishing a real offshore wind POWER cluster with close relationships between the companies in the different regions, both for the economic regeneration of the involved regions, and for confirming the North Sea Region as the global engine for the OWI.

The consortium sought to promote the coherence of policies and aimed to establish standard-setting approaches, as the regions had common concerns and shared interests that could be tackled by joint solutions.

The partnership aimed to tackle the crucial challenges (skilled work force, supply chain enhancement, public acceptance and transnational complementarity) by cooperation beyond borderlines and sector barriers. The project sought to develop cooperation between individual countries in order to take advantage of future growth in offshore wind and identifying future markets. It strengthened the position of the North Sea Region as a sector leader, not just for Europe, but globally, based on detailed analysis of the regional and transnational supply chain.

Results of the POWER cluster project

  • Within the POWER cluster project the exhibition “Fascination Offshore” was organized to raise the awareness for offshore wind energy among a wide public audience
  • Two major studies were conducted within the framework of the project which a) compiled experiences, challenges and recommendations with regard to the Offshore Wind Energy sector in the North Sea Region (“State of the Offshore Wind Industry in Northern Europe – Lessons learnt in the First Decade” - Ecofys study) and b) presented relevant lessons to be learnt from the oil and gas industry  (“Overcoming Challenges for the Offshore Wind Industry and Learning from the Oil and Gas Industry”)
  • Innovative databases were developed for raising social acceptance and providing information about the capabilities of companies related to the OWE: Web-based OWF site selection tool (WebSDSS training tool) / Interactive OWE cluster map for the North Sea Region (POWER cluster “Mapergy”)
  • A series of OWE communities events and Business-to-Business network events were organized to arrange new business contacts and contracts (e.g. German mayors conference; Offshore Renewable Energies – regional partnership roundtable event and workshop)
  • Due to the participation of different educational institutions, POWER cluster contributed to skills development for people in charge of the OWE sector (e.g. Compendium in Maintenance)
  • With regards to the organization of the mid-term and the final conference, POWER cluster provided a platform for transnational knowledge exchange and networking as well as the dissemination of actual data and experiences regarding the OWE branch.
Project News
Events
The POWER cluster final conference
Dates: 31/05/2011 - 01/06/2011
POWER cluster mid-term conference
Dates: 19/05/2010 - 20/05/2010

POWER cluster - Final Conference

POWER cluster - Final Conference, Michael Bürger (SUBVE on behalf of the Senator for Environment, Construction, Traffic and Europe - Bremen)

POWER cluster - Final Conference, Mathias Grabs (BIS Bremerhaven) welcomed the partners

POWER cluster - Final Conference, John Best (CEO, East of England Energy Group)

POWER cluster - Final Conference, Andreas Wagner (CEO, German Offshore Wind Energy Foundation)

POWER cluster - Final Conference, Frank Wiersma (Ecofys)

POWER cluster - Final Conference

POWER cluster - Final Conference, Anne-Bénédicte Genachte (EWEA)

POWER cluster - Final Conference

"Fascination Offshore"

"Fascination Offshore"

"Fascination Offshore"

"Fascination Offshore"

RegioStars Awards 2011 - Mr. Grabs (BIS Bremerhaven) handing over the POWER cluster Declaration to Commissioner Hahn

RegioStars Awards 2011 - finalists

Event Calendar
Events Archive

06/07/2015
30/06/2015
18/05/2015
21/04/2015
more...