The WINDPOWER Conference & Exhibition always reflects the times, and these are busy days for the industry indeed. It’s appropriate, therefore, that topics such as operations, technology, and non-traditional wind energy purchasers will all figure prominently at WINDPOWER 2014, which takes place May 5-8 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
An educational program that leaves no stone unturned
That’s the word from two people playing important roles in the development of the WINDPOWER 2014 program. Serving as Program Chairs for WINDPOWER 2014 are Jayshree Desai, Executive Vice President at Clean Line Energy Partners, LLC, and Kevin Alewine, Director of Renewable Energy Services at Shermco Industries.
“Having planted solid roots here in the U.S., the industry continues to make breakthroughs, with the cost of wind energy dropping 43 percent in just the last four years,” said Desai. “I’m thrilled to be a part of the WINDPOWER program development process because WINDPOWER serves as an important catalyst for the kind of education and discussion that drives our industry forward.”
Wind energy is a major player on the energy landscape and in fact has been for some time now. Over 61,000 MW have been deployed in the U.S. That means an increased need and more incentive to find better ways of operating and maintaining wind energy facilities.
Technology, meanwhile, continues to be a hot topic. As exemplified by new tower designs and longer blades, the industry is continuing to push into new frontiers for energy production – not to mention wind resource assessment tools, forecasting equipment, and so on. The list goes on, and topics on that list will be discussed in-depth at WINDPOWER.
Thanks to the industry’s constant advancement, the cost of wind energy keeps coming down – 43 percent in the last four years, as Desai mentioned. No wonder the event’s theme is Transformation in motion.
“Wind energy is a rapidly maturing industry, having delivered 30 percent of all new generating capacity for the last five years,” noted Alewine. “With over 61,000 MW installed and thousands of megawatts worth of construction taking place, WINDPOWER 2014 comes at the perfect time to tackle advances in technology, operation & maintenance, and other front-of-mind issues. I’m really excited to get the dialogue started in Atlanta.”
