Power Cluster - The Northern European competence network for offshore wind energy
The POWER cluster project is a direct successor of the successful North Sea Region (NSR) Interreg IIIB’s programme POWER project. It is centred on the development of a strong Offshore Wind Industry (OWI) cluster in the NSR.
From late summer 2008 and for a course of three years, eighteen partners from six countries – Germany, The United Kingdom, Denmark, The Netherlands, Norway and Sweden – will push the further development of offshore wind energy in Northern Europe in general and in the participating regions especially.
The participating regions have varied settings due to their diverse domestic wind markets and are characterized by individual strengths and weaknesses. Whilst no individual region can demonstrate excellence in every aspect of the supply chain, together the individual regions have full capability throughout all identifiable supply chain activities.
There is a clear benefit of establishing a real offshore wind POWER cluster with close relationships between the companies in the different regions, both for the economic regeneration of the involved regions, and for confirming the NSR as the global engine for the offshore wind.
Core project activities include creating a strong stakeholder and business-to-business network leading to knowledge transfer and bringing together complementary expertise to create more innovation in the sector.
Furthermore offshore wind skills training courses will be developed to create benefits for restructuring regions, and the project partners will work to raise the social acceptance for offshore wind energy through various awareness raising activities targeting a wider public and key stakeholders as a basis for the wider roll-out of the technology.
The project is funded 50% by the Interreg IVB North Sea Region Programme. Total budget amounts to almost 5 million EURO (2.5 million EURO ERDF).