With EWEC 2006 in Athens, the season of events has started. Overall the EWEC was successful although it did highlight the fact that the industry faces some serious problems. One of the main issues is the shortage of turbines. Most manufacturers and suppliers do not have enough capacity to produce the demanded number of turbines. If the expected (and hoped for) growth continues, the industry may fail to deliver. Most manufacturers are setting up production facilities in growth markets such as Asia and the USA. But turbines that are in production at the moment are already sold and for new orders the delivery time is longer than we would all want. For the manufacturers it is good to have a full order book, but if wind energy is to become a real mainstream energy source the capacity issue needs to be solved or otherwise the future of the industry might be discredited. On page 10 you can read more about EWEC 2006.

The year 2006 started with a battle between Russia and Ukraine about supplying gas to the latter. Whatever the reason, and without taking a position on who is right or wrong, the dispute showed the dependency of the international energy market on countries that possess fossil fuels such as gas. Because of the conflict, Russia decreased the amount of gas sent to Ukraine, an important hub for the distribution of gas to Western Europe, and several countries suffered problems due to halving of the gas supply. Such situations could be an opportunity to get renewable energy higher on the international political agenda, although our industry still faces the opinion that the majority of consumers are not willing to pay more for renewable energy compared to fossil energy. There are two main goals I would say: increase the public awareness of renewable energy’s importance and make sure that it becomes competitive!

We all know how devastating hurricanes and typhoons can be. The disaster in the southern states of the USA earlier this year clearly pointed that out. There are wind farms built in regions that have to risk encounters with these kinds of weather systems.

The biannual event HUSUMwind took place from 20 to 24 September. With over 500 exhibitors from 26 countries this show has a prominent position on the events calendar for our industry. Many companies launch their new products and announce their latest news at the show. If you want to stay up to date you need to go to Husum.