"Nobody knows whether the scientists and companies from 'germanwind' will be able to prevail in the final round. But even a place in the top 10 is a great success." This was the comment of the Vice President for Research at the University of Oldenburg, Prof. Dr Hans-Jürgen Appelrath, on the performance of the "germanwind - Wind Energy from the Northwest Region" cluster coordinated by the Bremerhaven/Bremen Wind Agency and the Centre of Excellence ForWind (Oldenburg, Hanover, Bremen). In the cluster competition organised by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the five winners, who will be announced in January 2010, will each receive funding of 40 million euros.
A total of 87 institutes and companies from all over the north-west are participating in the wind energy cluster. The main aim of "germanwind" is to develop a particularly efficient wind power plant. Innovative concepts and components are to be used to reliably integrate the constantly increasing proportion of wind energy into the electrical energy supply. The aim is to significantly improve the efficiency of the turbines by optimising production techniques, using new materials, reducing the use of materials and optimising the design of the components. Through joint research and development, "germanwind" aims to help ensure that wind energy is competitive with fossil fuels in free trade by 2015 and that the share of wind energy in the electrical energy supply reaches 30% by 2020.
These targets are impressive, explained Appelrath. A great deal of research is required here, which has a long tradition in this field in Oldenburg and has led to the founding of the Centre of Excellence ForWind together with the University of Hanover. The fact that the University of Bremen is now part of the centre is a sign of how closely the region is also working together in the field of science.

Info: www.forwind.de

Contact: Prof. Dr Hans-Jürgen Appelrath, Vice President for Research, Tel.: 0441/798-5456, Email: