Challenges around permitting and supply chains have to be overcome if renewables and wind energy are going to help solve the climate change and energy security crises, leaders have said at WindEnergy Hamburg.
Speaking at the event, Sven Utermöhlen, CEO Offshore Wind at RWE Renewables and Chairman WindEurope, told delegates that the answer to both climate change and the current energy crisis is the installation of more renewable energy and wind energy.
However, he warned that issues with permitting and supply chains could slow down the energy transition.
“We need to significantly streamline, accelerate, simplify and also digitalise the permitting processes in Europe and globally as well,” he said.
His comments were echoed by Ben Backwell, CEO Global Wind Energy Council, who noted that permitting has been a “massive problem in many places in Europe”.
“We can’t treat renewables and energy infrastructure like everything else. It’s not like building a new cinema or building a yachting marina. It is not a luxury,” he said.
Backwell noted that while there are government targets that are “extremely ambitious” more needs to be done to make sure those targets become a reality.
“We have this paradoxical situation in the middle of an energy crisis, where fossil fuel companies are making unprecedented profits and yet many of our supply chain companies are struggling to invest or stay afloat,” he said.
“And many are shrinking their footprint at the very time when we should be expanding our industrial footprint.”
Utermöhlen told delegates that the supply chain needs to grow its capacity in order to deliver targets.
“That means we have to stimulate investment in the supply chain otherwise that growth can’t happen,” he explained.
Björn Spiegel, vice president of the German Wind Energy Association, also argued that investment would be key.
“We have to invest ourselves out of this crisis. This is the only way to dampen energy prices, reduce our dependency from autocratic systems and protect our climate,” he said.