Improved cooperation in the global wind sector

5 November 2006

New Delhi (IAWE/WWEA) - On the occasion of the 5th World Wind Energy Conference taking place from 6-8 November 2006 in New Delhi/India, the International Association for Wind Engineering IAWE and the World Wind Energy Association WWEA signed today a Memorandum of Agreement on closer cooperation and coordination.

The signing was enacted by Prof. Giovanni Solari, President of IAWE, and Dr. Anil Kane, President of WWEA, during the General Assembly of WWEA in New Delhi. It underlines the importance both organisations attribute to multilateral activities with a focus on wind energy.

Prof. Giovanni Solari, President of the International Association for Wind Engineering: „Wind energy and wind engineering are vital and multidisciplinary fields, bursting out with manifold interests and aims, rich in expectations not only scientific and technical but, even more, human and social. The signature of a Memorandum of Agreement between WWEA and IAWE is a fundamental step forward towards the reciprocal spreading and sharing of the stimulating prospects deriving from focusing and solving together a wide set of problems of common interest, offering each other complementary tools and different viewpoints. Also on behalf of the wind engineering community, I feel proud of the opportunity of signing such a relevant document."

Dr Anil Kane, President of the World Wind Energy Association: „The enormous growth of the wind sector worldwide reflects the need for intensified cooperation between all sectors that are involved in the wind industry: science, business, governments and civil society. We are very proud that we will have an intensified cooperation with such a recognised organisation as the IAWE which plays a leading role in wind engineering worldwide. Engineers, manufacturers and operators worldwide still have to tackle some major challenges to make wind technology even more efficient. We are convinced that the worldwide wind sector will benefit from the coordination which will result from our Memorandum of Agreement between IAWE and WWEA."

The International Association for Wind Engineering promotes international co-operation among scientists, engineers and other professionals for advancement of knowledge in wind engineering. This includes the mitigation of damage caused by storms which are responsible, for a large amount, of the human casualties and economic losses that the world suffers every year from natural events, wind modelling and wind climate, bluff-body aerodynamics and computational fluid dynamics, wind tunnel and full-scale tests, the wind-excited and aeroelastic behaviour of towers, skyscrapers, bridges and any structure whose safety and serviceability depends on wind, pollutant dispersion, fire spreading, sand erosion and snow drift, land planning strategies related to wind. The IAWE Secretariat is situated in Italy, at the University of Genoa. In the next year, IAWE will hold the 12th International Conference in Cairns, Australia.

The World Wind Energy Association represents the wind sector in 80 countries on all continents. Amongst the WWEA members there are the major national wind energy associations worldwide as well as scientific institutes and companies. WWEA works for the complete substitution of fossil and nuclear sources by renewable energies with wind energy as one cornerstone. WWEA provides a platform for the communication of all wind energy actors world-wide, advising governments and international organisations and influencing national and international policies, and by providing international technology transfer. The WWEA Head Office is situated in Bonn/Germany close to the UN Campus. In the coming week (6-8 November), WWEA will hold the 5th World Wind Energy Conference & Exhibition in New Delhi/India.