World Wind Energy Conference “Community Power Citizens’ Power”

Bonn, Germany, 3 July 2012: The 11th World Wind Energy Conference 2012 (WWEC 2012) has been opened officially today in the World Conference Center in Bonn. The three-day conference will comprise 200 presentations in 40 sessions, with experts from 50 countries, and from all continents. The speeches will cover all aspects of wind power utilization, with a special focus on the main conference theme ‘Community Power – Citizens’ Power’. The conference is hosted by the World Wind Energy Association (WWEA) and the German Wind Energy Association (BWE).

WWEA President He Dexin emphasized: “It is an important signal that this year’s WWEC takes again place in Germany, ten years after the first WWEC was held in Berlin. A transformation is undergoing in the energy system worldwide. Community Wind represents a very promising trend for wind energy, since it involves wide comprehensive participation and is more adaptable to the characteristics of wind energy as well as has an impact on society. And Germany is the leading country to promote community wind farms, with its origins at the beginning of the 1990s. The WWEC2012 will provide ample opportunities to present and discuss research achievements which will be supported by various panels and several keynote speeches with special emphasis on public dialogue, and also the exhibition will show new technologies, suppliers and manufactures”.

“The strong growth of energy cooperatives and community wind farms in Germany shows that the conference theme captures the spirit of the time. There is a spirit of optimism - citizens take the energy supply into their own hands. The current, one-sided discussion in Germany about the Renewable Energy Law (EEG) has revealed that part of the conservative-liberal coalition lags far behind the citizens who want a rapid transition towards renewables. The situation is similar like with the nuclear phase-out last year. The EEG has proven to be an excellent and flexible instrument, which has successfully driven the energy transition during the last decades.” mentioned BWE-President, Hermann Albers at the conference.

“In BWE’s opinion, public participation is a central element of the energy transition. Therefore, BWE has launched a new publication in German and English. The publication entitled ‘Community Wind Power – Local Energy for Local People’ gives a comprehensive introduction into the different investment models and the project planning of community wind farms.”