A workshop organised by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) on the value of wind energy to society is to take place at the JRC premises in Petten, The Netherlands, on 13-14 November 2013.
The workshop is motivated by the need to assess the full value of wind to society and its economic impact at large beyond the cost of energy. In the context of the slow recovery from the economic crisis in Europe, reduced subsidies for renewables and, in some markets, the continuous reduction in the cost of natural gas and coal as alternative generation fuels, it becomes necessary to further explore the legitimacy of wind energy through a deeper understanding of its socio-economic value.
The aim of the workshop is to draw up a comprehensive list of the social, environmental and economic elements that should be included in any analysis of the value of wind energy to society, subject to the scope of that individual analysis. In order to achieve this, the workshop, which will adopt a brainstorming format of a focus group, will aim not at obtaining values but rather the variables that should be included in the system, and at identifying data needs. This will involve examining the elements or analytic results of some existing studies that explore the value of wind energy and identifying the gaps in these that should be addressed to allow for a comprehensive analysis.
The workshop contributes to the work of Task 26 (Cost of Energy) of the International Energy Agency Wind Implementing Agreement (IEAWind). The Task 26 members along with 25 other experts will provide the expertise needed in the following areas: experience with similar studies; macro and micro economics, including modelling; systems approaches; cost-benefit and other impact assessment tools; energy systems including wind energy and system integration; and environmental and social aspects.
The desired outcomes of the workshop include drawing up an agreed list of all the elements that could, should or should not be included in a system approach to assessing the social and economic impacts of wind energy, along with a set of explanations for the conclusions reached. Other outcomes are the identification of system boundaries, the detail of data needed for every element and the more common data gaps. Based on these outcomes, a guide for policy makers, analysts, scientists and policy-support practitioners etc., will be drafted, and the outcomes will be published as workshop proceedings in a JRC Scientific and Policy Report.
Attendance to the workshop is by invitation only. However, with the view of opening the conclusions of the workshop to public debate, a forum-like web facility may be provided after the workshop so that other non-attending experts can contribute with their ideas.
More information on this workshop can be found in the Workshop and hearings section.