Almost 400 African and international wind energy stakeholders from more than 20 countries will gather in Cape Town this week for the inaugural Wind Power Africa 2010 Conference and Renewable Energy Exhibition
Wind Power Africa 2010 will take place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) from 12-14 May 2010. The event will be used as a platform for these experts to share their knowledge and experiences in developing affordable wind energy projects.
Following the opening plenary of Wind Power Africa 2010, Alderman
Clive Justus of the Cape Town City Council will officially hand over the city’s first
Green Electricity Certificate Purchase Statement to Mr Hermann Oelsner, President of the
African Wind Energy Association (AfriWEA) and the host of the event. As a major proponent of renewable energy, Mr Oelsner is passionate about “greening” his organisation’s flagship event by (amongst others) using electricity generated from the
Darling Wind Farm outside of Cape Town, incidentally a project that he was instrumental in developing.
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Wind Power Africa 2010 is the premier international event on wind energy in Africa hosted by the African Wind Energy Association (AfriWEA), organised by Omega Investment Research, and endorsed by the
Global Wind Energy Council in partnership with other African and international organisations. A powerful networking platform, the event will bring together key African and international stakeholders from the public and private sectors including project developers, wind farm operators, energy utilities, equipment manufacturers, regulators, national, provincial and local government representatives, financial institutions and investors, researchers, engineers, wind measuring specialists, NGOs and environmental interest groups.
The three-day conference features an impressive list of more than 60 expert speakers from both developed and developing countries addressing not only technology issues but also policy and regulatory aspects, funding, emission reduction incentives, training and skills development, as well as climate change and environmental impact. Case studies from around Africa will provide practical insights into the development of wind energy on the continent.
Speaking about the Conference Hermann Oelsner acknowledged: “Wind has become widely recognised as a source of energy that can contribute substantially to a clean, affordable and sustainable energy supply system. Astonishing technological progress has been made by way of constantly improved, economically efficient, multi-megawatt wind turbines as well as new, innovative small scale off-grid applications.”
The conference will tackle the full range of wind energy subjects with a focus on developing strategies and instruments for wind energy in less- and non-industrialised countries of the world. The adaptation of successful technologies and strategies to specific regional and local conditions will be a central theme of the event, said Oelsner.
Keynote speaker Eduado Gonzalez Ferrán, Head of Communications for Iberdrola Renewables at Spanish company Iberdrola Renewables, the largest developer of renewable energy globally, and the representative of the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) will provide a detailed overview of the status of wind power around the world, and present an outlook for the period up to 2014 and beyond. According to GWEC, global wind markets increased by a staggering 41% in 2009. There is an increasing awareness that wind power is key to combating climate change, a fact that Mr Gasco’s presentation will back with detailed figures. Furthermore, Mr. Gasco will look at wind potential in different African markets and discuss how wind power could make a significant environmental, economic and social contribution to Africa’s energy mix.
A 3-day exhibition will run in parallel to the conference featuring companies from some of the leading countries in wind energy technology such as Denmark, Germany, the UK, Ireland, Australia, Canada, Egypt, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and the USA, many of whom have already established or are in the process of establishing a presence in Africa.
Exhibitors include major manufacturers, suppliers and service providers to the wind energy industry.
The potential opportunities for wind power in Africa, and South Africa in particular, are immense due to the profitable renewable energy feed-in tariffs introduced in 2009, tremendous Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project potential, ideal natural conditions, and a rapidly growing energy demand.
“Wind Power Africa 2010 is, for all intents and purposes, the coming of age event for wind energy in Africa. The exceptional levels of interest and support from investors, exponents, organisations and institutions from around the globe have demonstrated the exponential increase in both awareness of and appreciation for the opportunities inherent in the sector,” says Denise Spaull, General Manager at Omega Investment Research and Project Manager of Wind Power Africa 2010.
The African Wind Energy Association (AfriWEA), a non-profit organisation, was founded in 2002 in order to encourage manufacturers, developers, governments, renewable energy owners and individuals to promote and support wind energy development on the African continent. With more than 800 members, AfriWEA provides a powerful world-wide network for the wind energy sector in Africa.
Conference Opening
Date: Wednesday, 12 May
Time: 13:30 for 14:00
Venue: Auditorium 2, CTICC, Cape Town
Format: Conference
Handover of Cape Town’s first Green Electricity Certificate Purchase Statement
Date: Wednesday, 12 May 2010
Time: 17:30 for 17:45
Venue: Strelitzia Conservatory, CTICC, Cape Town
Format: Cocktail Reception
Note: To pre-schedule interviews (telephonic or in-personat the event) for Wednesday, Thursday or Friday please contact Cheryl Peters on
cheryl@windenergyafrica.com or telephonically on 082 449 5546.
