The ninth WINDFORCE 2013 offshore conference will be held from 4 to 6 June in Bremerhaven. During the three days of the conference, participants can choose from 60 presentations, listen to a high-level panel discussion, enjoy the Maritime Wind Dinner, visit a boat show, and still have plenty of time for professional exchanges and networking.
The organisers are also offering the opportunity to join an all-day boat excursion to German offshore wind farms in the North Sea on 7 June 2013.
The Offshore Wind Messe und Veranstaltungs GmbH, together with the Wind Energy Agency WAB, the organisers of WINDFORCE, are expecting more than 800 international participants to come to Bremerhaven. “Our experience in recent years has shown that WINDFORCE is the place where the offshore wind sector meets in Germany. The event offers an ideal platform for stakeholders to network with each other, whether at the national or international level” , said Jens Eckhoff, managing director of Offshore Wind Messe und Veranstaltungs GmbH.
Learning from experience – and looking to the future
Networking is an essential element of the programme. In nine separate theme sessions, about 60 presentations will be given by national and international experts in the offshore wind energy sector who will talk about such diverse topics as financing, transport and logistics, grid connection and nature conservation at offshore wind farms.
The ninth WINDFORCE will also focus on cost reduction, devoting two full theme sessions to this important issue. The industry is still in its infancy and must now urgently identify and boost potential for reducing costs in order to have the continuing ability to be sustainable. “The issue of cost reduction in the offshore wind industry is important for Germany’s energy turnaround. Everyone in the offshore wind sector knows that we need to cut costs, and the industry is taking on this challenge” , said Ronny Meyer, managing director of WAB. The agency is currently financing a study on cost reduction and will present its results at the conference in June.
Altogether 127 abstracts for lectures/presentations were submitted from nine countries for the WINDFORCE 2013 conference.
For the first time ever, three theme sessions at the conference will be devoted to the technical sciences. These sessions will be all about service, the maintenance and monitoring of installations at sea, marine technologies, and the monitoring and further development of foundation structures and their installation. The lectures will be organised and presented in cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy and Energy System Technology (IWES).
WINDFORCE 2013 features a boat show for the first time
This year WINDFORCE is boasting a premiere – the WORKBOATS in WATER exhibition. Service vessels essential to the offshore wind industry will be docked at the Weserkaje quay near the conference venue. Among them are research, work and supply ships, port and ocean-going tugs, and barges. Participants can visit the ships during the days of the conference. Some vessels will motor out on short tours, and their owners are inviting participants to come on board as passengers and experience their ships live and close up.
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Press release, February 25, 2013; Image: windforce2013