1. Project Description
1.1: Objectives
1.2: Approach
1.3: Consortium
1.4: Contribution to EU policies, social objectives

The overall objective of the project is to support the realisation of offshore wind energy by mobilising available but scattered knowledge from previous/on-going National and EU efforts, upgrading this knowledge into coherent views and disseminating the results back into the offshore wind energy community. The specific objectives are:
- the exchange of information within the EU member states
- to provide an inventory of the state-of-the-art on key issues
- to provide recommendations for RTD programmes and implementation of large offshore wind farms, both with national and EU DGXII/XVII dimensions

The strategy of this concerted action is characterised by:
- multi-disciplinary approach
- EU wide multi-national coverage
- activities focussed on realising practical results
- full dissemination

In order to implement the strategy Thematic Cluster groups are set-up on topics like:
technology, grid integration, wind resource & economics, activities & projects, and social & environmental impacts.
The exchange, evaluation and upgrading of existing knowledge within these clusters results in state-of-the-art reviews and RTD recommendations, and will be disseminated by: an Internet Website, Workshops, Reporting and publications.

The consortium consists of 17 participants from 13 countries (12 EU and 1 CEE), representing the utility sector, wind farm developers, engineering consultants, national agencies, R&D institutes and universities. The complete EU coastline with potential for offshore wind energy (except Portugal) and the Baltic Sea is covered. This Concerted Action has thus a truly European dimension.

The project is in line with the EU policy laid down in the EU White Paper "Renewable Sources of Energy", where the specific target for wind power is set at 40,000 MW installed capacity by 2010, 25% of which will be delivered by 10,000 MW capacity of large wind farms, most of it in the form of offshore wind farms.

The development of a market for large scale offshore wind farms will bring new business to the existing wind turbine manufacturers and to the offshore engineering industry, shipyards and shipping branches of Europe, creating employment for the associated work forces.
Since shipyards and shipping industries are often located in EU Regions with high Milestones and expected results

Project deliverables and milestones are:
- functioning of thematic cluster groups and information exchange
- operation of Internet Website to disseminate results
- State-of-the-art review and RTD strategy for offshore windenergy
- interaction with industry through a special manufacturers meeting
- interaction with offshore wind energy sector through a Workshop

Expected impacts
- reduction of product development efforts with wind turbine manufacturers
- avoidance of duplication of RTD work and improvement of efficiency and effectiveness of national and EU RTD programmes
- improved understanding of risks and thus more effective dealing with political and economical barriers
- accelerating the realisation of large scale offshore windfarms

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