WINDPOWER 2011 kicks off with high energy, call for policy stability
The WINDPOWER 2011 Conference & Exhibition--the world's largest annual wind energy event--kicked off with a bang (well, actually, the roar of a custom motorcycle) yesterday at the Anaheim, Calif., Convention Center.
Critical info from the day's proceedings, including:
- Brief recap of media mogul Ted Turner's and AWEA CEO Denise Bode's remarks at the conference's opening plenary session.
- Comments from U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR-3) and Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D-MT), both of whom called on America to rise to the challenge of transforming our national energy system to tap our vast domestic renewable energy resources.
- A press conference on the decision by a federal agency, the Bonneville Power Administration, to shut down wind farms during periods of abundant rainfall and high winds.
- The display of a Tesla electric sports car, including some quick numbers on how we could benefit from using more electricity to power our vehicle fleet
is available in the kickoff day news release.
Behind the scenes with the AWEA staff, it was a typical wire-to-wire WINDPOWER day, starting with an all-hands-on-deck coordination breakfast at 7 a.m. and powering through the conference sessions, tailgate reception in the outdoor exhibit area (heavy equipment display), poster reception, and evening events at the Disney California Adventure theme park, wrapping up after midnight.
There were some bleary eyes at this morning's breakfast, but also an upbeat mood, with the knowledge that we've launched another successful iteration of the trade show that is far and away America's best-known and best-attended wind industry business gathering.
(One final note: exhibit space sales for the WINDPOWER 2012 Conference & Exhibition, scheduled for June 3-6, 2012, in Atlanta, GA, are well underway at the AWEA Booth, #1267 in Hall D.)
