Wind
We are the leading producer of wind energy in Italy and among the top ten in Europe.
Wind is freedom, strength, and motion. It is an inexhaustible source of clean energy that comes from nature and becomes nature. We have decided to follow the simplicity of the wind and today we are the largest producer of wind power in Italy. As an operator we are continuing to expand abroad, we are among Europe's top ten onshore wind power producers.
Thanks to the wind, we produce energy without carbon dioxide emissions and we do it with a business approach based on real skills in the area. Since 2006 we have increased our installed capacity more than tenfold (from 134 to more than 1,800 MW) achieving a wind-based production of 4,000 GWh of energy in 2019 alone.
That is our concrete contribution to the effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Italy and around the world, as we fight climate change and transition to a greater amount of energy from renewable sources.
Thanks to the wind, we produce energy without carbon dioxide emissions and we do it with a business approach based on real skills in the area. Since 2006 we have increased our installed capacity more than tenfold (from 134 to more than 1,800 MW) achieving a wind-based production of 4,000 GWh of energy in 2019 alone.
That is our concrete contribution to the effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Italy and around the world, as we fight climate change and transition to a greater amount of energy from renewable sources.
OUR WIND ENERGY IN NUMBERS as at 31.12.2019 | ||
| 1,929 MW | 4,000 GWh Energy production | 301 EUR mln Adjusted EBITDA |
| The Paris Agreement (COP 21) On 12 December 2015, in Paris, an agreement on climate change was reached and signed by 196 countries. They committed to:
The agreement is unprecedentedly widespread since almost all the countries in the world signed it. |
The prospects of wind energy and our approach
Wind-based energy is a radical change in the way we produce energy, that has proven to be economically sustainable and that has significant growth prospects. According to Bloomberg data, worldwide installed wind power capacity is expected to increase by seven times by 2040, reaching 2,033 GW from the 282 GW data recorded in 2012.
The growth in Europe will also be significant, as it is expected to quadruple its installed capacity, from 110 GW to 400 GW.
We did it with a business approach. We are one of the few wind energy operators with expertise that spans the entire supply chain: from the identification of sites to the maintenance of turbine blades and forecasting the weather. By choosing to do so, we have become a highly specialised and efficient operator.
We directly operate and maintain our wind farms with a technical team that is highly specialised in operational management.
After a period of strong growth achieved through acquisitions, we will now focus on consolidating our existing assets and on growing organically abroad, to further improve our geographic diversification.
Our goal is to grow abroad, adding 200 MW of installed capacity. By expanding our wind farms in Europe we intend to create an optimal mix that is capable of handling the uncertainties of the wind business. There are two types of risk: meteorological risk (i.e. the variability of wind conditions in the areas where the wind farms are) and regulatory risk (i.e. changes to the regulatory framework).
This risk diversification logic has always characterised the way we operate and is a pillar of our economic sustainability.
Wind-based energy is a radical change in the way we produce energy, that has proven to be economically sustainable and that has significant growth prospects. According to Bloomberg data, worldwide installed wind power capacity is expected to increase by seven times by 2040, reaching 2,033 GW from the 282 GW data recorded in 2012.
The growth in Europe will also be significant, as it is expected to quadruple its installed capacity, from 110 GW to 400 GW.
We did it with a business approach. We are one of the few wind energy operators with expertise that spans the entire supply chain: from the identification of sites to the maintenance of turbine blades and forecasting the weather. By choosing to do so, we have become a highly specialised and efficient operator.
We directly operate and maintain our wind farms with a technical team that is highly specialised in operational management.
After a period of strong growth achieved through acquisitions, we will now focus on consolidating our existing assets and on growing organically abroad, to further improve our geographic diversification.
Our goal is to grow abroad, adding 200 MW of installed capacity. By expanding our wind farms in Europe we intend to create an optimal mix that is capable of handling the uncertainties of the wind business. There are two types of risk: meteorological risk (i.e. the variability of wind conditions in the areas where the wind farms are) and regulatory risk (i.e. changes to the regulatory framework).
This risk diversification logic has always characterised the way we operate and is a pillar of our economic sustainability.
What are renewable energy support systems and how do they work in the countries where ERG operates?
- Feed-in TariffThis system guarantees the sale price of energy to the producer; a public entity is required to withdraw the energy produced at these plants for a predetermined period of time at a predefined price.
- Feed-in PremiumThis is a support mechanism that supplements the sale price of energy distributed to the market in a way that guarantees the producer additional revenue that covers the difference between production costs and revenues from market sales.
The supplement, or premium, can be fixed during the support period or variable in relation to the trend of energy prices on the market. The producer, having sold the energy at market price, obtains total coverage for the production costs and, in the case of a variable bonus linked to market prices, is protected from the risk of price variation throughout the support period.
- Green CertificatesGreen certificates are allocated to renewable energy producers.
Meanwhile, producers that generate electricity from fossil fuels and those who sell energy to end customers are under obligation to buy a certain number of certificates, usually defined as a percentage of the energy produced or sold in the year.
The producer sells the energy on the market and obtains extra revenue by selling Green Certificates to those required to buy them.
- Watch the summary table
Country
Feed-in Tariff Feed-in Premium Green Certificates
Italy
X X
France*
X X
Germany
X X
Poland**
X X
Romania
X
Bulgaria***
X
* The Feed-In Tariff applies to all of ERG's plants currently in operation in France.
** Feed-in Premium refers to the plant currently under construction in Poland (Correct).
***In Bulgaria, the support mechanism applied to existing plants (including ERG's plants) only changed last year, transitioned from a FiT to a FiP system
Read more:
https://ec.europa.eu/energy/topics/renewable-energy/support-schemes_en
https://www.irena.org/policy
http://www.res-legal.eu/
** Feed-in Premium refers to the plant currently under construction in Poland (Correct).
***In Bulgaria, the support mechanism applied to existing plants (including ERG's plants) only changed last year, transitioned from a FiT to a FiP system
Read more:
https://ec.europa.eu/energy/topics/renewable-energy/support-schemes_en
https://www.irena.org/policy
http://www.res-legal.eu/
Page updated at 10 Mar 2021