Context

The commercial development of onshore and offshore wind energy raises a number of environmental issues that may challenge some projects. Therefore, there is a need to share lessons learned from field research, including wildlife monitoring methods, results of studies and successful strategies to reduce impacts and consider cumulative effects. It is in this context that the WREN collaborative initiative was launched in October 2012 by the International Energy Agency’s Wind Energy Programme (IEA Wind).

Objective

To work for international collaboration and knowledge enhancement of the potential global environmental impacts of wind energy.

Scientific and technical content

• Creation of a public database accessible via the Tethys web platform and containing the various information collected on the environmental impacts of onshore and offshore wind energy.
• Preparation of scientific syntheses on wind energy and the environment at a global scale (white papers, fact sheets).
• Organisation of webinars and meetings to strengthen interactions between the different industrial, academic and institutional stakeholders in the sector.

Organisation

The WREN initiative is led by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and the Wind Energy Technology Office (WETO) of the US Department of Energy (DOE). Based on a principle of international collaboration, this initiative currently involves 12 countries in Europe and North America. France Energies Marines joined the WREN ambassadors in 2020.

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