Europe’s power industry sees the growing share of renewables in the energy mix as the most important issue in the short-term and the second most important in the long-term, with offshore wind regarded as of high significance to the sector in the short and long-term, according to the first POWER-GEN Europe Confidence Index launched by PennWell.
The Index, the result of a pan-European study of over 700 of the region’s power market professionals, shows that European market players view offshore wind as a key element of the continent’s renewable energy delivery strategy, and this is reflected in the high confidence in the industry’s preparedness.
The study discovered that the figure for net preparedness is the same for those working in the offshore wind field as for the industry as a whole, i.e. 44%.
In contrast, the marked negative organisational preparedness of -7% was unexpected and probably reflects the relatively low numbers of respondents who felt they needed to be prepared in this area.
The study also showed that Europe remains the most important market for renewables. Germany was viewed as the most important country, with the UK and France taking second and third place respectively.
On the other hand, Asia-Pacific is the most important area for investment, according to the results of the study.
“Energy professionals right across Europe face very similar challenges and it is their opinions about the changes taking place that are analysed in this report,” Lawrence Slade, Chief Executive, Energy UK, said.
“Such a barometer of sentiment in the industry is a valuable yardstick for those involved in the sector and for observers, keen to understand the direction and speed of change taking place.”