POWER GEN Europe - BET Aachen

Welcome to POWER-GEN Europe
Thorsten Herdan, Managing Director, VDMA Power Systems
Dear Colleagues,
On behalf of VDMA Power Systems, the German information and communication platform for the
manufacturers of gas and steam turbines, engine systems, hydropower, wind energy plants as well as fuel cells,
we would like to invite you to the 20th POWER-GEN Europe and it’s co-located events in Cologne.
The further development of power systems will be characterised by growth: The global demand for energy
will continue to grow, as will the world-wide demand for e�cient and environmentally-friendly energy
technologies. According to the VDMA power mix study, it can be expected that the construction of 800 GW of
new electricity generating capacity will be needed in Europe alone in the period leading up to 2030. This will
provide an ideal basis for the successful transformation of the European electricity market.
This need for new construction will require investment of more than €1000 billion over the next 20 years and
will represent excellent growth opportunities for the industry.
However, this also highlights the industry’s responsibility towards the provision of cost-e�cient and futureorientated
solutions. The VDMA experts’ forecast emphasizes the necessity of making use of all available energy
sources and technologies. During the period up to 2030, renewable energy’s share of the European electricity
generation mix will triple in comparison to 2007, from 16 per cent to 48 per cent. This will be backed by a supply
mix in which 33% of the total demand for electricity is supplied by fossil-fuel power plants with a further 19 per
cent being supplied by nuclear plants in order to ensure European supplies in the long-term.
However this ambitious development will only be possible with the expansion of the use of renewable energy
sources as well as new build e�cient and �exible conventional power plants. The development of new storage
methods to cover �uctuations in generation will also be needed. Furthermore, it will be necessary to decisively
drive forward the conversion of the electricity supply grid, speed up permitting procedures and increase energy
e�ciency in the various European economies. Only in this way security of electricity supply can be assured in
Europe in the long term.
Ultimately, however, the development of an electricity mix will be in�uenced principally by the energy-policy
parameters and market design within individual EU member states as well as the legal framework speci�ed by
the EU as a whole. EU energy-policy parameters must be consistent in their formulation.
In order to meaningfully discuss potential future technical trends and solutions, the industry needs a platform,
which is widely accepted and well recognized by all stakeholders. In 2012, the co-located POWER-GEN Europe,
Renewable Energy World Europe and Nuclear Power Europe events once again provide the premier European
platform for the energy industry. The number of exhibitors already committed to a presence this year con�rms
this view. We wish all exhibitors and visitors a successful conference and exhibition this year, interesting
discussions and contacts and, above all, a good business.
Kind regards,
Thorsten Herdan
Managing Director, VDMA Power Systems
www.powergeneurope.com 5