New Great Lakes Wind Collaborative to Hold 1st Annual Meeting

Hyatt Regency Hotel.
The Great Lakes Wind Collaborative (GLWC) will hold its 1st Annual Meeting May 6-7, 2008 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Buffalo, New York. The meeting will provide an opportunity for interested stakeholders to learn more about this new collaborative and become engaged in wind issues on a regional level. Presentations on the role of wind energy in meeting the Great Lakes region's energy needs of the 21st century as well as the Midwestern Governors Association's Energy Security and Climate Change Platform and its implications for wind energy in the Great Lakes region will be part of the program. Topical presentations and discussions on issues surrounding off shore wind development and environmental and wildlife impacts of wind power are also part of the two-day event. The newly-formed GLWC will unveil a first year workplan. Participants will be invited to provide feedback on the first year activities.

Breakout sessions will further provide participants with an opportunity to help shape future activities of the Great Lakes Wind Collaborative. Specific topical areas to be discussed include environmental planning, siting and permitting, research gaps, off shore aspects, transmission and power system integration, and economic development aspects of wind power. Interested stakeholders can go to the Web site to sign up for periodic updates on GLWC activities. A draft agenda and registration information for the meeting will be available on the GLWC Web site in the near future.

The GLWC is a group established to build consensus and identify and address issues affecting the planning, development, and operation of wind power facilities in the Great Lakes region. The GLWC provides a forum for dialogue and an opportunity for analysis and exchange of information among key stakeholders to facilitate sustainable wind power development in the region.

The Great Lakes Commission serves as the Secretariat for the GLWC, with funding in part from the U.S. Department of Energy - National Renewal Energy Laboratory.