Global: WWEA General Assembly elects Peter Rae as WWEA President

The WWEA General Assembly took place in Jerusalem, on the occasion of the 14th World Wind Energy Conference WWEC2015. 

The WWEC2015 happens in Israel at a time when the country has adopted a 17 % renewable energy target for 2030 – still modest but substantially higher than the previous target. It is anticipated that wind power will provide a large share of this new generation capacity. As an encouraging step, a 15 MW wind farm is about to operations in the coming days, the first new wind farm in the country since 25 years. 

WWEA Secretary General Stefan Gsänger: “Peter Rae’s experience in leading the early development of the wind industry in Australia as chairman of Australia’s largest renewable energy generator, HydroTasmania, and his broad involvement with the world’s renewable energy transition will be of great benefit to WWEA.” 

The new elected WWEA President Peter Rae stated: “I intend to concentrate on achieving the following major policies:

• to develop a broad understanding of the benefits of wind energy both as a major generator and as a central component of community power systems
• to help enlighten the world to the necessity and benefits and the means of achieving energy sustainability though renewables
• to answer the critics of the wind industry where these occur and reassure those with concerns
• to enhance the understanding of the social and economic benefits of renewable energy for the people both in industrialized and less developed countries
• to strengthen the importance of WWEA as the major voice for the broad components of the wind industry and to help broaden its basis to support that role." 

Mr Rae also paid tribute to his predecessor Prof. He Dexin: “I will try to follow the lead given by He Dexin but he has left big shoes to fill. We are all indebted to him for his the leadership he has shown.”

The WWEA General Assembly also elected the Vice Presidents of the association: 

• Prof. Dr. Chuichi Arakawa, Japan
• Mr Heinrich Bartelt, Germany
• Dr. Everaldo Feitosa, Brazil
• Mr Gadi Hareli, Israel
• Dr. Andriy Konechenkov, Ukraine
• Prof. Dr. Conrado Moreno, Cuba
• Prof. Dr. Galal Osman, Egypt
• Prof. Dr. Choong-Yul Son, South Korea
• Prof. Dr. Tanay Sidki Uyar, Turkey
• Mr Wu Gang, China

Prof. K. Kasthoorirangaian, Chairman of the Indian Wind Power Association, was appointed as Honorary Vice President.