Nobel winner Pachauri is wind energy event panelist

Nobel Prize winner Dr. Rajendra K. Pachauri, Chairman of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), has confirmed his participation in EWEC 2009's Global Leaders' Vision panel session. He will join visionary figures from the wind industry and finance sector in exploring the most pressing issues related to developing wind power at the global level.

The debate will focus upon the compelling twin challenges of climate change and energy security and consider the crucial role that wind energy has to play in the solution.

Other panelists are: Ditlev Engel, President & CEO, Vestas, Denmark; David Jones, CEO, Allianz Specialised Investments, United Kingdom; Christian Kjaer, CEO, European Wind Energy Association (EWEA); Gérard Mestrallet, CEO, GDF SUEZ (tbc); Marc Vergnet, President, Vergnet, France; and Xabier Viteri, CEO, Iberdrola Renovables, Spain.

Organised by the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA), the European Wind Energy Conference (EWEC) 2009 will be the sector’s first large-scale discussion of the historic Renewable Energy Directive, newly agreed by the EU in December 2008. It will also be the industry’s first major event since the financial crisis started shaking economies worldwide. From 16-19 March, EWEC delegates will meet in Marseille to discuss and debate the new energy and economic era.

The Renewable Energy Directive has set EU Member States binding renewables targets by 2020 with an overall goal of 20 percent. To reach the 20 percent target, more than one-third of the European electrical demand has to come from renewables. Wind power can deliver 12-14 percent of the EU’s electricity by this time, with an installed capacity of 180 GW, up from 56 GW in 2007.

EWEC 2009 will see the launch of the first ever Global Leaders’ Forum, in which speakers from the industry, political, environmental and economic sectors will examine the relationship between energy supply and climate change.

In all, there will be over 40 sessions, workshops and side events organised during the four-day conference, as well as more than 500 oral and poster presentations. The annual exhibition has been extended twice to over 9,000 square meters, its biggest size ever, in order to accommodate all those who wanted to participate.