Results Regional Implementation
Leading Partner: Province of Groningen
Partner: Malta Intelligent Energy Management
Agency
Table of Contents
Page
Introduction ..........................................................................................................................6
.1MIEMA ..........................................................................................................................6
.2The Maltese Scenario ...................................................................................................7
.34POWER Project ..........................................................................................................7
.4INTERREG IVC programme .........................................................................................7
.5The Present Energetic Scenario ...................................................................................8
.6National Energy Efficiency Action Plan ....................................................................... 10
Regional Consultation and Implementation ....................................................................... 11
.7Aspects being addressed ............................................................................................ 12
.8Energy Planning in Malta ............................................................................................ 12
.9Output from the 4POWER project and the Interreg IVC Programme .......................... 12
.10Wind Characteristics in Malta .................................................................................... 15
PESTEL ANALYSIS .......................................................................................................... 16
Previous Work ................................................................................................................... 17
Dissemination .................................................................................................................... 18
Meeting with Stakeholders and Decision Makers .............................................................. 19
.11Dr Alfred Sant Ex-Prime Minister of Malta and Candidate MEP ................................ 19
.12MRA: Ing. Rizzo and Ing. Sant (MRA) ....................................................................... 20
.13Prof. Tonio Sant: Institute for Sustainable Energy ..................................................... 21
.14MCST Diana Spiteri and James Foden - The Malta Council for Science & Technology
.....23
.15Meeting at the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Malta: Dr Cedric Caruana,
Dr Joseph Licari and staff............................................................................................... 25
Regional Implementation and Consultation ....................................................................... 27
.16Mr Emanuel Mazzitelli – Equipment, Components, Manufacturing and Services
Operations at Malta Enterprise....................................................................................... 28
.17Dr Ing. Daniel Micallef – Malta College for Science Arts and Technology ................. 29
.18Mr Michael Paul Camilleri – University of Malta / Junior College .............................. 31
.19Mr Narcy Calamatta .................................................................................................. 32
.20Dr Robert Farrugia .................................................................................................... 34
Off Shore Wind Energy Market .......................................................................................... 36
Conclusions ....................................................................................................................... 39
Table of Figures
Page
Figure 1. Graph of total electricity production from different energy fuel sources. You may
be able to make out a very think green sliver of renewable energy in the top right corner of
the graph (Photo credit: OECd/IEA 2013) .......................................................................... 10
Figure 2. Type of Structures for Off Shore Wind farms ..................................................... 14
Figure 3. Off Shore Wind Farm in the Netherlands utilizing a mono-pile driven into tripod
structure for deep waters ................................................................................................... 15
Figure 4. Marfa Harbour lighthouse in the north of Malta being used as a solar energy
capture point ...................................................................................................................... 16
Figure 5. Dissemination of the 4POWER project on RTK 103.00 Mhz FM ....................... 19
Figure 6. Dissemination activities during the European Maritime Week (right) and event
participation (left) ............................................................................................................... 19
Figure 7. Eng. Albert Falzon meeting Dr. Alfred Sant as part of the 4POWER project .... 20
Figure 8. MRA Ing. Anthony Rizzo and Ing. Godwin Sant (MRA). .................................... 21
Figure 9. Profs. Tonio Sant explaining the challenges of OSW in Malta ........................... 22
Figure 10. Diana Spiteri – FP7 Executive MCST .............................................................. 24
Figure 11. Meeting the directors of the Industrial, Electrical Power and Control department
at the University of Malta ................................................................................................... 26
Figure 12. Mr Emanuel Mazzitelli explaining the relation of the Maltese work force with the
new energy market ............................................................................................................ 29
Figure 13. Dr Daniel Micallef explaining various aspects behind OSW research ............. 31
Figure 14. Mr Michael Paul Camilleri explaining educational concepts which must be used
in each educational level ................................................................................................... 32
Figure 15. Mr Narcissus Calamatta identifying the correlation between OSW and
conventional Windmills vis a vis noise ............................................................................... 33
Figure 16. Dr Robert Farrugia explaining the wind characteristics and the harnessing of its
power ................................................................................................................................. 35
Figure 17. Investments in Energy Per Annum................................................................... 37
Figure 18. Investments in Off Shore Wind energy in Northern Europe by 2030................ 38
Figure 19. Job creation in the market of off shore wind energy per decade (thousands) .. 39
Introduction
As part of the 4POWER project MIEMA has discovered various encouraging synergies
associated with the development and deployment of OSW in Malta and the necessity to
working jointly with other Mediterranean countries. It was analysed how Malta can become
the hub for the development and maintenance of such an infrastructure. In this way new
markets related with OSW can be created. In this regard the local authorities in question
have issued an expression of interest for the Development and operation of a Maritime
Hub.
In this way the 4POWER project is abiding to stimulate the exchange of knowledge between
leading regions and less advanced regions in aim of creating a common understanding
about current and future regional challenges in OSW development.
As a matter of fact technological advancement in OSW is remarkable, however the uptake
in terms of knowledge and effective policy in Europe's regional and local governments is
still catching up.
The 4POWER consortium is composed of a number regions which are trend setters in the
exploitation of OSW, and regions which are still catching up. Hence the project is enhancing
knowledge exchange between the prominent regions (Rostock, Dundee, Emden), less
advanced regions (Groningen, Rimini) and regions which are still in the stage of orientation
(Azores, Malta, Corfu, Latvia) to create a common understanding about current and future
regional challenges in OSW development.
.1
MIEMA
The Malta Intelligent Energy Management Agency (MIEMA) was set up with the support of
the Intelligent Energy—Europe (IEE) programme and a number of public institutions. Its
aim is to promote a more intelligent use of energy resources. MIEMA provides a free
information service to stakeholders, such as local councils, trade associations, government
entities and the general public.
The Malta Intelligent Energy Management Agency (MIEMA) is a public body to conduct
research and promote energy efficiency and renewable energy sources. It operates on a
national and European level.
It was set up in 2007 with the support of the Intelligent Energy Europe (IEE) programme
and with the participation of a number of public institutions. MIEMA collaborates closely
with the University of Malta, the corresponding ministries and various municipalities.
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.2
The Maltese Scenario
One of the main challenges to global environmental sustainability and economic stability is
the world’s reliance on fossil fuels for its energy requirements. This energy requirement is
predicted to increase to around threefold by the end of the century. An additional problem
is the production of greenhouse gases from the combustion of fossil fuels. Reduction in the
use of fossil fuels, together with the development of alternative energy sources, is a goal
for governments, the private sector, as well as the scientific community.
The European Commission has agreed to reach tough environmental targets on the
reduction of fossil fuels to mitigate the negative effects of climate change, by the year 2020.
The main aims are:
– To reduce the global greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent
– To reduce the electrical load by 20 per cent by using energy efficient solutions
– To increase the production of electricity using renewable sources by 20 percent
.3
4POWER Project
The project focuses on the input of regions in relation to offshore wind energy (OSW). AS a
matter of fact OSW has an enormous potential as a renewable energy source. In fact EEA
postulated how it is economically feasible to generate over 60 to 70% of EU’s total energy
demand by OSW in 2020.
The role of regions are critical for the development and implementation of OSW. This may
be linked with practical reasons such as the need for electricity cables to be ‘land’ in coastal
regions and because of the political and strategic role they can play.
.4
INTERREG IVC programme
The INTERREG IVC programme is aimed at providing funding for interregional cooperation
across Europe. This programme is implemented under the European Community’s territorial
co-operation objective and financed through the European Regional Development Fund
(ERDF).
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INTERREG IVC was approved in September 2007 and the period for INTERREG IVC will
cover till 2013. It follows from the INTERREG IIIC programme which ran from 2002-2006.
The INTERREG IVC Programme rotates about the improvement of the regional policies and
instruments while building on the exchange of experiences among partners who are ideally
responsible for the development of their local and regional policies.
The programme supports innovation and the knowledge economy, environment and risk
prevention. In this way the programme contributes to the economic modernisation and
competitiveness of Europe while abiding to the objectives of Lisbon and Gothenburg
agendas.
Typically, Interreg IVC funded projects focus upon the exchange of experience are
networking activities such as thematic workshops, seminars, conferences, surveys, and
study visits. Subsequently, project partners work together in aim of identifying and transfer
good practices. Possible project outcomes include case study collections, policy
recommendations, strategic guidelines or action plans. INTERREG IVC also allows
highlights implementation or piloting, but only if these complement the exchange of
experience activities.1
.5
The Present Energetic Scenario
Malta, similarly to other European countries has the objective of a sustainable, competitive
and secure supply of energy. According to the EU fact sheet in January 2007 the potential
of wind energy in Malta is substantial. Malta produces almost all its electricity using oil,
importing 100% of it.i
At the time of writing Malta has no local resources of fossil fuels and neither a gas distribution
network. Malta’s energy supply relies exclusively upon the importation of various fractions
of petroleum. The gross energetic consumption has increased by half between 1990 and
2004.
Only in 2008 renewables entered the energy market in Malta at which point only solar energy
and biofuels were used. According to the EU there is a substantial potential for solar and
wind energy. Energy import reached 100% in 2004.2
At the time of writing Malta is 98% dependent on fossil fuel imports to quench the thirst for
energy. In spite of this fact, the Maltese islands feature a vast amount of solar resources
and a reasonable wind power potential that remain largely unexploited.
1
2
INTERREG IVC www.interreg4c.eu
MALTA – Energy Mix Fact Sheet January 2007
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As a result of recent and tourism surges, the country’s electricity demand has been
consistently rising over the past decade. Subsequently, Malta depends on foreign resources
whilst increasingly compromising the country’s energy stability and electrical grid
consistency.
Figure 1. Graph of total electricity production from different energy fuel sources. You may
be able to make out a very think green sliver of renewable energy in the top right corner of
the graph (Photo credit: OECd/IEA 2013)
In this light the viability of exploiting wind and wave energy are being scrutinized.
Subsequently the first wave energy pilot project kicked off four years ago. Unfortunately it
has also fallen off the radar with local media. On the other hand, the possibility of utilizing
wind energy has experienced numerous and exhausting speculation regarding its feasibility,
with recent speculations foreseeing difficulties in using this resource.
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.6
National Energy Efficiency Action Plan
The National Energy Efficiency Action Plan (NEEAP) fulfils the provisions of Art. 14 (2) of
Directive 2006/32/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 April 2006 on
energy end-use efficiency and energy services. It was published in November 2008 by the
Ministry for Resources and Rural Affairs.
The Action Plan takes into account other initiatives that are being or have been developed
at Community level, including legislative instruments. The European Community, together
with Member States, is working to improve energy efficiency in all sectors whilst at the
same time increasing the use of renewable energies. The Green Paper on Energy
Efficiency points to the fact that the EU could save at least 20% of its present energy
consumption in a cost-effective manner.
In order to support better integration of energy efficiency measures into national legislation
the European Commission has proposed several directives which have been adopted and
are now in force. These concern broad areas where there is significant potential for energy
savings, such as: End-use Efficiency & Energy Services; Energy Efficiency in Buildings;
Eco-design of Energy-Using Products; Energy Labelling of Domestic Appliances;
Combined Heat and Power (Cogeneration); Vehicle emissions.
.
Energy efficiency is regarded as a principal objective in Government’s energy policy,
primarily in view of its impact on the demand for energy and its propensity to reduce the
country’s fuel bill and its carbon footprint. The NEEAP has as its main aim the identification
of the most economically viable opportunities for savings, and their propagation for
eventual adoption and exploitation in the field.
It is also a declared policy objective of the plan to find synergies between energy efficiency
and the overall Government’s energy policies, particularly as an opportunity for economic
growth, as well as the various ramifications in spheres of social development and the
environment. When compared to measures of alternative and renewable energy sources,
energy efficiency is variously considered more of a viable option for improved energy
security and the reduction of carbon emissions.
The Plan generally purports to identify those measures deemed to be most cost-effective
and that will optimize energy efficiency in a number of contexts. The Plan further aims to
denote a way forward for the rational Implementation of these measures.
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Regional Consultation and Implementation
As part of MIEMA’s involvement in 4POWER (Policy and Public Private Partnerships for
Offshore Wind Energy), it organized a regional event at Europe House in Valletta on Monday
the 24th of March 2014.
This event focused at mentioning how the energetic uptake in terms of knowledge and
effective policy in Europe's regional and local governments is still patchy. It was highlighted
how there are various European regions which are clear leaders in the exploitation of OSW
and regions with similar ambitions but without the level of experience or knowledge to
implement OSW in the short term.
The need for OSW was also mentioned in the National Renewable Energy Action Plan for
Malta as given in July 2010. It is envisaged that by 2020 Malta:3
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Renewable transport will be 37 ktoe
Wind, 0.3 TWh or 22 ktoe
Bio electricity 0.1 TWh or 12 ktoe
Wind power 15 MW and 38 GWh onshore wind and 95 MW and 216 GWh offshore wind.
Solar photovoltaic 28 MW (43 GWh) and solar thermal 3 ktoe.
The renewable electricity from solid biomass 86 GWh (7 ktoe) and biogas 50 GWh (4 ktoe).
Renewable heat 0 ktoe for solid biomass and 2 ktoe for biogas.
Subsequently it was mentioned how the project partners of 4POWER are jointly working on
two themes:
(1) creating an efficient regional policy framework and
(2) promoting a favourable business and innovation climate aimed at implementation.
From the employment point of view it was mentioned how the market for wind energy is
growing exponentially. Plans are underway in Northern Europe, particularly in Germany and
England, to build more than 100 offshore wind farms, with total construction costs of
approximately EUR 150 billion. Successively these turbine farms can help contribute to
reaching the EU's objective for 2020 that 20% of all electrical power should come from
renewable energy sources – and preferably from offshore wind turbines. This sheds light
upon the possibility of the Maltese industries into tapping into this market.
3
EurObserv’ER Database December 2010
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.7
Aspects being addressed
This event has been scheduled so as to focus on the following points with regards to OSW:
1.
TSO - Electricity Grid - Electricity Market
2.
Permit Process
3.
Influencing Politicians (NIMBY)
4.
Education - Technical Staff
5.
Infrastructure (Ports, Roads)
6.
Supply Chain - Value Added Chain - Resources
It was explained how MIEMA, as part of the 4POWER project has been assigned the task
to analyze the points of view of high-profile experts in the Maltese wind sector. In this regard
MIEMA carried out various meetings not to leave a stone unturned in this respect.
.8
Energy Planning in Malta
In the light of the 2020 goals as set by the European Commission Malta has been instructed
to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels by increasing the use of renewable energies. In fact
Malta is 98% dependent on imported fossil fuels for its energy supply but under the new
energy directives for Europe, Malta is bound to supply 10% of its final energy consumption
from sustainable energy sources by 2020 and reduce the greenhouse gas emissions by
20% (of the 1990 levels).
This can be obtained also taking advantage from favorable amounts of winds but one of the
problems of wind energy in Malta is that onshore wind farms is severely restricted by the
lack of space and the high population density. And so the best solution could be offshore
wind farms even if offshore wind technology is still expensive and wind conditions are
strongly characterized by turbulences than by clean wind. This reduces the viability of wind
energy in Malta when compared to other areas in the North Sea areas.
.9
Output from the 4POWER project and the Interreg IVC Programme
4POWER Project stimulates knowledge exchange between leading regions and less
advanced regions. Moreover, the German Offshore Wind Energy Foundation collaborates
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closely within the participating regions, by sharing its extensive experience and providing
coverage through it network.
In this way the 4POWER project aims to define the conditions required for the development
of offshore wind energy while promoting actions to encourage the development of this
sector. In this way the share of knowledge about wind energy can lead to the
recommendations on procedures on how implement it at European level.
Figure 2. Type of Structures for Off Shore Wind farms
Malta’s highest hurdle in exploiting its offshore wind potential is restricted by the lack of
shallow waters which are less than 30 metres deep. For this reason the wind farm being
proposed covers an area of 11 square kilometres with water depths varying between 10 to
35 m.
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Figure 3. Off Shore Wind Farm in the Netherlands utilizing a mono-pile driven into tripod
structure for deep waters
This area corresponding to ‘Sikka l-Bajda’ which is a reef located 3 to 5 km from the tourist
accommodation area of St. Paul’s Bay, Bugibba and Qawra and 5 km away from Ghadira
beach.
The farm at Sikka l-Bajda will consist of :
• 19 five-Megawatt wind turbines with a maximum generating capacity of 95 MW.
• Onshore substation
• Sophisticated supervisory control and data acquisition system
It is envisaged how Sikka l-Bajda offshore wind farm will be capable of generating enough
energy for around 45,000 households.
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.10 Wind Characteristics in Malta
Off shore wind energy is captured by high mounted wind turbines. These turbines are
located several meters above sea level (sometimes over 30m in height) in order to capture
the maximum wind power.
The blades rotate by the force of the wind which is turned into power by a generator which
is coupled with a gearbox in the tower. In this way the kinetic energy of the blades is
converted into electrical energy by the generator. This can be found singularly but most of
the time there are various wind turbines in a single wind farm.
Figure 4. Marfa Harbour lighthouse in the north of Malta being used as a solar energy
capture point
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PESTEL ANALYSIS
As part of the 4POWER Project it was planned that a regional consultation would be carried
out in each region so as to analyze the present scenario of each region. This could be
reached by making use of the PESTEL and SWOT analysis where PESTEL stands for
Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legislative while SWOT
stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats.
In aim of understanding the stakeholders’ point of view, we asked them to fill in a
questionnaire which was specifically prepared for the project in question. The questions
were related to the new opportunities that Malta can exploit from the market of wind energy.
During the latest Ecomondo Fair which takes place on an annual basis in Rimini it was
understood how Malta can become a key player in wind energy market by providing low cost
workforce to construct and assemble the wind turbines. In this way the Maltese industry may
feature new job opportunities while improving the availability of turbines. This can be a reality
as a result of the availability of harbors facilities and dockyards in Malta. Moreover, the
transport of turbines to other European Countries could also be facilitated.
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Previous Work
A PESTEL analysis is an analysis of the political, economic, social and technological factors
in the external environment of an organization, which can affect its activities and
performance.
A PESTEL analysis is important also when we are planning a good practice for our city or
our country. Indeed before to plan it’s useful to understand if the good practice is feasible
and it’s important to check all the aspects and points of view (Political, Economic, Social,
Technological, Environmental and Legal). In fact these are all important aspects to consider
when we are coming up a project.
Political Factors deal with how and to what degree a government intervenes in a particular
sector of the economy. This can include policies, political in/stability, tax, policy, labour law,
environmental law and action plans.
It is prominent how political factors have an impact on the plan of projects. In the case of
transport system or of energy system the political side is important because we have to take
in consideration the incentives and the laws of the government.
Economic factors have also a significant impact on how a project is going on and also how
profitable it is. The same is for social factors.
In the European case, environmental factors have only been highlighted in the last fifteen
years or so. This has occurred as a result of the increasing scarcity of raw materials, pollution
targets, and sustainable company, corporate social responsibility and carbon footprint
targets set by governments.
They are the most prominent factors when dealing with a good practice that has the aim to
improve the impact on the environment.
Legal factors comprise health and safety, rights and laws. It is clear that we need to know
what is and what is not legal in order to operate successfully.
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Dissemination
It is a well-known fact how socio-cultural factors are the areas that affect the shared belief
and attitudes of the population. These aspects are of particular interest as they are influential
in the implementation of a good practice.
Figure 5. Dissemination of the 4POWER project on RTK 103.00 Mhz FM
Appropriate dissemination and publicity is a useful way for citizens to improve their
knowledge of green lifestyle and so their point of view has to be considered.
The dissemination activities organised by MIEMA as part of the 4POWER project include
technological aspects such as R&D activity, automation, technology incentives and the rate
of technological change. In this way the activities in question will account for the
technological landscape changes and how his impacts can be important in a project.
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Figure 6. Dissemination activities during the European Maritime Week (right) and event
participation (left)
Meeting with Stakeholders and Decision Makers
.11 Dr Alfred Sant Ex-Prime Minister of Malta and Candidate MEP
Dr Alfred Sant held the position of the leader of the Malta Labour Party between 1992 and
2008. He was the Prime Minister of Malta between 1996 and 1998 and as the Leader of the
Opposition between 1992 and 1996 and from 1998 to 2008.
During an interview with Dr Sant he expressed how he doubts whether the energy targets
for renewable energy are applicable to Malta. He visualised the need for more concrete
action in the field of Off Shore Wind energy.
He went on to describe how the actions plans devised to meet the 2020 goals impractical
and unrealistic.
Figure 7. Eng. Albert Falzon meeting Dr. Alfred Sant as part of the 4POWER project
Presently, Dr Sant is a Labour Party candidate for the 2014 European Members of
Parliament election.
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Independent surveys commissioned by different newspapers showed how the Former
Labour Party leader is the frontrunner in the European election which will take place next
May.
.12 MRA: Ing. Rizzo and Ing. Sant (MRA)
MRA standing for Malta Resources Authority is the public body which regulates the
utilisation and management of water, energy and mineral resources in the Maltese Islands.
It was incepted by the Maltese Parliament in 200 as part of the Malta Resources Authority
Act. It has a wide range of responsibilities covering the regulation of water and energy
utilities, exploitation and exploration of resources such as oil and quarries.
A meeting was scheduled with the aim of presenting the 4Power Project while highlighting
the importance of the regional consultations and local implementation. In this way we
scrutinized the point of view of high experts in energy field about this project.
Figure 8. MRA Ing. Anthony Rizzo and Ing. Godwin Sant (MRA).
Ing. Godwin Sant informed us about the monitoring of wind at Mellieha which was carried
out for 4 years.
Ing. Rizzo explained how he doesn’t have preference over any RES technologies since the
priority is to have energy efficiency and cheaper technologies. According to him the
technology to use for the Maltese case is floating wind farms and it’s important to choose
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strategic places (not eyesore). Moreover, one of the major problems of energy production in
Malta is the intermittent power supply.
Since the wind energy does not meet the Maltese energy demand curve, the electricity
produced from the wind energy during the night would have to be exported and how the
problem relies upon the exportation of the energy through the interconnector as there are
various transmission costs associated with it.
It would be unfeasible to sell energy to Sicily since the costs related with the exportation of
electricity across the Strait of Messina would be the bottleneck to what should happen.
Surely, from an economical point of view this project has sense but we have to take in
consideration the competition of wind energy with PV panels because PV matches better
the demand curve of Enemalta.
We have also to take in consideration the possibility of the building of the new gas plant; the
cost of energy will be 10cents/KWh and renewable energies will have to compete with this.
Malta would still need to buy energy from abroad only for peaks of demand.
.13 Prof. Tonio Sant: Institute for Sustainable Energy
During the Dissemination Event at Europe House in March 2014, Prof. Tonio Sant
mentioned the possibility of the Maltese Industry to tap into the European wind energy
market and the possibility to construct turbines in the Maltese dockyards. He described how
the workforce shouldn’t be a problem since marine engineering already makes part of the
Maltese knowhow.
During his presentation he mentioned how OSW is an intermittent power supply therefore
the Maltese energetic uptake would also rely on the use of the interconnector for up to 45
MW.
It was discussed how the Maltese industry is too focused on gaming and ICT while we are
not focusing enough on other market positions such as RES.
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Figure 9. Profs. Tonio Sant explaining the challenges of OSW in Malta
Prof. Sant carried on to describe how the Maltese islands feature the highest solar
radiation density in the EU. He also went on to mention how this technology is land-based
and PV farms require a large area.
Meanwhile offshore floating PV’s are still stick at the concept stage yet Malta experiences
space availability.
In this presence of Prof. Tonio Sant it was discussed how the Maltese Shores feature lowto-medium average wind speeds which vary between 6.9 m/s and 7.4 m/s when
contrasted to the North Sea which experiences winds speeds ranging between 8.5 m/s
and 10 m/s.
The Levelized Cost of Energy of OSW in Malta is still high: 22 — 24 €cents/KWh when
compared to that in the North Sea: 14— 17 €cents/KWh
This arises from the fact that the sea in Malta is generally too deep while shallow areas are
limited and subjected to environmental constraints.
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.14 MCST Diana Spiteri and James Foden - The Malta Council for Science
& Technology
Figure 10. Diana Spiteri – FP7 Executive MCST
MCST standing for the Malta Councill for Science and Technology is the government body
which coordinates research, the management of the local research funding programme,
promotes scientific research and is the NCP for the EU Research Framework Programme
(formerly referred to as FP).
MCST was incepted by the government in 1988 with the aim of advising the government
about Science and Technology policy. Nowadays its remit has developed and The Council's
tasks have expanded to comprise the responsibility for National Strategy in the field of
Research and Innovation (R&I).
As part of its responsibility towards the area of Research and Innovation, MCST represents
the government in European fora related with Research and Innovation. These include:
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CREST facilitates the progress of policy coordination throughout Europe.
Joint Research Centre Board
DG Research working parties
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EIT (European Institute of Technology) working parties
ESFRI (European Strategic Forum on Research Infrastructure)
It also harmonizes the management and administration of the National Research and
Innovation Funding Programme
It is also the National Contact Organisation for raising awareness and providing support for
EU’s Research and Development Framework Programme (FP7).
As part of the support towards Research and Innovation in 2009 it provided funding for the
design and analysis of an Innovative Offshore Wind Turbine Support Structure for Deep
Water Applications in the Maltese Islands (DOW)
This project dealt with the development of a deep water structure for offshore wind turbines.
As part of this project is established a design methodology to be applied to assess the
technical requirements for supporting wind turbines in depths of 70 metres in Maltese wind
and wave conditions.
Sector:
Energy & Environment
Coordinator:
Dr Tonio Sant
Coordinating Organisation:
Institute for Energy Technology, University of Malta
Consortium:
General Renewable Energy Ltd - Ecofys
Honeycomb Services Ltd
Grant Value:
€ 97,788
The project weighed the viability of constructing such structures locally while develop
offshore wind farms in the Maltese waters.
This activity is being regarded as the preliminary phase of a much larger project, follow the
country’s strategy and planning intended to develop deep offshore wind energy in Malta in
waters which are not deeper than 70 metres, in an areas which are relatively close to the
coast (5 to 14km). In this way it was envisaged that this could contribute to generating circa
33% of the current electricity demand.
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.15 Meeting at the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Malta: Dr
Cedric Caruana, Dr Joseph Licari and staff.
Dr. Cedric Caruana is a senior lecturer at the Industrial Electrical Power Conversion
Department at the University of Malta.
Eng. Albert Falzon described the 4 Power Project and the analysis which is being carried
out. Dr. Cedric Caruana explained how the electrical side of developing OSW is not being
highlighted enough even if it’s one of the more important things when planning an offshore
wind farm. In fact the connection of the farm to the grid has to be planned carefully in
particular in this case because of the fluctuating energy supply produced by the wind.
Figure 11. Meeting the directors of the Industrial, Electrical Power and Control department
at the University of Malta
It was a discussed how the Northern European countries are experiencing a lack of
workforce for this sector. The staff being interviewed from University of Malta described how
they can provide people, services and technologies for the development of wind energy and
that it’s a big opportunity for Malta to become a pilot OSW center while playing an important
role in wind energy market.
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Another point of the discussion covered the possibility of transport the turbines by sea since
it would be cheaper than other kinds of transport. Malta features plenty of harbors that could
be suited for this function.
It was concluded how the technical aspect would not be a problem in Malta but one also
needs to look at the political side. Moreover, they also discussed the importance of
controlling a wind turbine and regulating overcapacity.
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Regional Implementation and Consultation
A regional consultation and implementation sessions was organised by the Malta Intelligent
Energy Management Agency as part of the 4POWER project. It was focused at the
preparation of EU (coastal) regions for offshore wind developments, by exchanging
knowledge, experience and best practices on offshore wind (OSW) supportive policy
instruments and effective implementation.
A number of interesting facts emerged from this event. These were related with educational
topics in the field of OSW in Malta. It clearly emerged how technical people will not readily
share their findings with the appropriate authorities. This kind of disjointed approach could
mean that the final development of an OSW solution can become lengthier or not possible
at
all.
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.16 Mr Emanuel Mazzitelli – Equipment, Components, Manufacturing and
Services Operations at Malta Enterprise
Malta Enterprise is local agency which is charge of encouraging and facilitating international
investment in Malta by promoting business opportunities and tailored services to foreign
investors.
Its network covers various countries around the globe featuring a number offices or
representation in embassies and consulates in the Middle East, Asia, North Africa, the
United States and Australia. The Corporation also manages initiatives to stimulate Malta’s
economic growth and attractiveness.
Malta Enterprise also support the development of enterprise in Malta. In this light it has
created various incentives for the elevation and expansion of industry and the development
of innovative enterprises.
It caters for foreign direct investors and local enterprises demonstrating commitment
towards growth and employment. Presently it is involved in manufacturing, ICT development
activities, Call Centers, Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology, among others.
Figure 12. Mr Emanuel Mazzitelli explaining the relation of the Maltese work force with the
new energy market
Mr Emanuel Mazzitelli explained how onshore wind energy experiences the problem of
space restrictions. It is perceived how the lack of public acceptance of onshore wind farms
and the limited availability of suitable onshore sites are other relevant constraint
considerations.
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This was followed by a discussion about the topics of the challenges involved in installing a
deep water wind farm. This represents the highest hurdle because of the high capital
expenditure requirements due to deep waters around the Maltese Islands.
Mr Mazzitelli described how a number of local companies have come up with proposals of
innovative types of floating wind farms.
Mr Mazzitelli went on to analyse the value chain of OSW as an opportunity for business
networking
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component manufacturers
assembly of electronic devices and equipment
software developing companies
plastic injection moulding
engineering and energy saving solutions service providers
installation, maintenance and repair
He went on to describe how Malta’s strategic location, the availability of key skills as well as
the general operating environment can make it a leading contender for this kind of maritime
activity.
.17 Dr Ing. Daniel Micallef – Malta College for Science Arts and
Technology
During the dissemination event Dr Micallef gave an overview of the technical challenges
undermining the implementation of offshore wind energy. He went on to describe the
process of producing, staging and installing an off shore wind turbine. Moreover he went
on to expand on the business opportunities for Malta in the Mediterranean region. In this
way he explained the geographic validity of the research being carried out in Malta in this
regard.
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Figure 13. Dr Daniel Micallef explaining various aspects behind OSW research
As part of his talk about OSW he described why 10% of project costs are associated with
staging, assembly and transport. He went on to expand how an installation is quite an
important area to address
He also considered the market point of view of OSW in terms of three general models
being considered in this respect
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Import dominated model
The regional hub model
Dispersed model
Finally he concluded how the present technological challenges are existent for the
implementation of offshore wind farms in both deep and shallow waters. From this
perspective he highlighted how Malta can become Europe’s regional hub for producing,
staging and installing turbines.
Subsequently Malta can become a key player in the Mediterranean offshore wind industry.
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.18 Mr Michael Paul Camilleri – University of Malta / Junior College
Mr Michael Paul Camilleri is a lecturer at the University of Malta and at Gan Frangisk Abela
Junior College. During the dissemination day for 4POWER he described how education and
sustainability have a long-standing commitment to education under the rubric of its capacity
building initiatives.
He suggested how there should exist a partnership for establishing an educational strategy
for the development of a sustainable energy scholarship program to support students as
part of the economal transition.
This program should offer scholarships to outstanding students in aim of supporting a webbased network to encourage the sharing of information and knowledge among scholars and
alumni.
Figure 14. Mr Michael Paul Camilleri explaining educational concepts which must be used
in each educational level
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.19 Mr Narcy Calamatta
Mr Calamatta described how a conventional windmill is a machine that converts wind energy
into rotational energy by means of vanes. The name "windmill" comes from the fact that the
devices originally were developed for milling grain. The name stuck when in the course of
history, windmill machinery was adapted to supply power for many industrial and agricultural
needs other than milling.4
He went one to describe how the majority of modern windmills have the form of wind turbines
used to generate electricity.
Figure 15. Mr Narcissus Calamatta identifying the correlation between OSW and
conventional Windmills vis a vis noise
The first wind turbine was built at the end of the nineteenth century by Prof James Blyth in
Scotland (1887), Charles F. Brush in Cleveland, Ohio (1887–1888) and Poul la Cour in
Denmark (1890s). It is interesting how La Cour's mill as from 1896 became the local power
plant of the village Askov. By 1908 there were 72 wind-driven electric generators in
Denmark, ranging from 5 to 25 kW.
Similarly to a windmill, a wind farm is a similar structure which changes the wind energy in
a different way to generate electricity. So the interesting fact lies here: how was it that in the
past that noise coming windmills was accepted while today the noise coming from wind farm
4
"Mill definition". Thefreedictionary.com. Retrieved 2013-08-15.
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has been attenuated whereas yet exacerbated? This idea can be utilised in the development
of wind farms.
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.20 Dr Robert Farrugia
Figure 16. Dr Robert Farrugia explaining the wind characteristics and the harnessing of its
power
Dr Robert Farrugia brought over how long term wind resources projects are important. The
aim of his presentation was to reduce the level of uncertainty in wind resource projections
while enabling more precise turbine energy harvest estimates
He went on to describe how MEASURE-CORRELATE-PREDICTION (MCP) techniques
may build a relationship between the site in question and a longer-term station given that a
wind database exists already.
Moreover Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modelling can account for long-term wind
parameters time to project wind resources at the site in question on a long term basis,
It was discussed how a 10 minute average wind speed and direction records could be
sourced from the Wied Rini tower and the Ahrax mast. The data availability at Wied Rini
over the full duration of the pilot examination project was of 97.9%.
Dr Farrugia explained how both Linear and Matrix MCP methodologies were generated on
a monthly basis meaning that they tracked each other in a similar way over the same
period.
It was discovered how long term wind parameters time series can be obtained for the local
candidate sites. A time-series may then be used as an input to the CFD models.
Subsequently CFD can be utilised to tackle complex fluid flow problems.
CFD computations are based on:
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• A Macro domain covering the Maltese Islands and their marine space
• A number of Micro domains to improve the accuracy at each sites.
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Off Shore Wind Energy Market
The European Environment Agency's (EEA) estimated how Europe's offshore wind energy
is enormous and is able to meet Europe's demand seven fold. In the Commission’s 2008
Communication on offshore wind energy (EC, 2008) it was mentioned how "offshore wind
can and must make a substantial contribution to meeting the EU's energy policy objectives
through a very significant increase - in the order of 30-40 times by 2020 and 100 times by
2030 - in installed capacity compared to today."
It was added how the key numbers are:
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5 GW installed by the end of 2012
10% of Europe's annual wind energy installations
40 GW installed capacity by 2020, equivalent to 4% of EU electricity demand or 148 TWh production
150 GW by 2030, meeting 14% of EU electricity demand or 562 TWh.
Figure 17. Investments in Energy Per Annum
The European Wind Energy Association estimated how by 2020 40 GW of offshore wind
power will produce 148 TWh annually. These figure meet over 4% of the EU’s total
electricity demand while relieving 87 million tonnes of CO2 emissions from the
atmosphere5.
5
EWEA
Pure
Power
2011
report,
leadmin/ewea_documents/documents/publications/reports/Pure_Power_III.pdf
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http://www.ewea.org/fi
It is envisaged how Europe's offshore grid should reach 40GW of offshore wind power by
2020 and 150 GW by 2030. EWEA's proposed offshore grid builds upon 11 already
existent offshore grids and 21 offshore grids which are planned for the Baltic and North
Seas to give Europe a truly pan-European electricity super highway.
Figure 18. Investments in Off Shore Wind energy in Northern Europe by 2030
Europe's offshore grid should be built to integrate the expected 40GW of offshore wind
power by 2020 and 150 GW by 2030. EWEA's proposed offshore grid builds on the 11
offshore grids currently operating and 21 offshore grids currently being considered by the
grid operators in the Baltic and North Seas to supply Europe with a truly pan-European
electricity super highway.
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Figure 19. Job creation in the market of off shore wind energy per decade (thousands)
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Conclusions
It comes as a well-known fact how Malta features plenty of solar energy, wave energy and
wind energy which can be used as a result of a substantial amount of exposure from the
sun.
Furthermore, Malta obliged itself to produce 20 per cent of its energy outtake from renewable
sources by 2020.
Malta being only 2% of renewable energy makes it very concerning how it can eventually
reach the 2020 goals since this quota needs to be increased to 10% renewable energy,
otherwise the country will succumb to hefty fines.
Time is ripe for Malta to focus thinking on the renewable frameworks of thought in aim to
take Malta out of the EU by 2020. This can be enabled by supporting a European Foreign
Policy and not a single policy.
i
MALTA – Renewable Energy Fact Sheet January 2007
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