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Consortium receives update about Windpower 2008 |
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Written by Thomas Watson
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Saturday, 28 June 2008 |
The West Texas Wind Energy Consortium held its monthly luncheon at the Center at TSTC on Thursday. The main topic of discussion was the recent Windpower 2008 conference held in Houston.
The conference brought together more than 13,000 wind industry leaders, policymakers and energy professionals, including wind power plant developers, turbine manufacturers and a full range of supply chain manufacturers.
The annual Windpower conference is the world’s largest annual wind energy industry event, with several days of conference sessions, interactive tradeshows and numerous networking opportunities between leaders in all facets of the industry.
Attendees were able to learn about industry successes as well as actions needed to expand wind energy’s expected contribution of 20 percent of U.S. Electricity supply by 2030- a level that a recent report by the U.S. Department of Energy says is technically and economically possible.
Texas has installed more wind energy and is planning more transmission infrastructure than any other state in the U.S. and has become a model of how to make wind energy work on a large scale
SEED Executive Director Ken Becker spoke to the luncheon attendees about the event, saying, “We were there for several reasons; first, we there to support the wind industry as a whole, I mean, living here in Sweetwater and Nolan County, pretty much within shouting distance of a lot of people, there is at least one wind turbine. This is the largest area in the world for wind energy, and its already providing a tremendous amount of energy as it is, but that’s no reason to let things fall off now. We were also there to support our local wind energy companies that are already in place. These companies and the people that work for them are really helping Sweetwater and the Nolan County area. We were also there to just promote our community. SEED was there, the Chamber of Commerce was there, several TSTC representatives were there. Then we also had the opportunity to network with a couple of companies that are looking into Sweetwater as future development opportunities, so it was really great that our city and county was well represented at this event. I was expecting a lot from this event in Houston, and it really surpassed my expectations.”
The Windpower 2008 Conference & Exhibition featured a show floor over a quarter mile long and 770 exhibitors who filled the exhibition hall with a full array of products and service demonstrations. There were more than 13,000 registrants and wind energy professionals, up from 7,000 the previous year; with a conference program featuring 300 different speakers and moderators, 150 poster presentations, and over 50 sessions addressing topics organized into six daily “tracks”: Finance, Wind Power Growth, Resource Assessment, Policy, Key Issues, and Wind at the Epicenter.
Notable among the speakers were Governor of Texas Rick Perry; Mayor of Houston Bill White; Alexander Karsner, Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Energy; and General Wesley Clark, (ret.) Emergya Wind Technologies, B.V., Director and Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, Europe.
Also featured at the conference were two 70-meter-long turbine blades displayed outdoors on the Discovery Green. There was also a Job Fair and Careers in Wind Seminar offering the opportunity to hear from many top executives with leading wind energy companies regarding how to start a career in the wind industry and where wind energy’s leading companies will be recruiting.
Famous singer-songwriter Lyle Lovett even performed at the Discovery Green, a newly constructed park across from the George R. Brown Convention Center.
Sweetwater Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jacque McCoy described her encounters with wind energy leaders at the conference. She said, “What amazed me the most was, when I was able to really explore the booths at the conference and start talking with people, it was simply amazing that people from all over the world who were at this conference, they had heard about Sweetwater because of the wind development here. It was pretty great that these companies and developers from throughout the United States, and across the world, knew about our town. I think it was just extraordinary.” |
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Last Updated ( Monday, 30 June 2008 )
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