World Wind Energy Award 2008

Renewable energy and wind energy in particular are decentralised forms of energy generation. Taking this into account, this conference has demonstrated in an impressive way the key role that community power has played, has to play and will play in the acceleration of wind energy deployment worldwide.

In this light, we are very proud to announce that the Board of the World Wind Energy Association has decided to give the World Wind Energy Award 2008 for the initiation and support of community wind energy in Europe, North America and worldwide.

The Award will be given to the following people who have contributed significantly and in an exemplary manner:

- Jointly Jane Kruse, and Dr Preben Maegaard, Denmark
- Paul Gipe, USA

Paul Gipe, Jane Kruse and Preben Maegaard are the pioneers in community wind power in Europe and in North America. Paul, Jane and Preben started working with renewable energy in the 1970s. They have advised numerous governments about how to implement wind energy, based on the idea of broad social involvement and community ownership, in order not only to increase the social acceptance of wind farms, but also to achieve real participation of as many people as possible.

Jane Kruse has been involved in energy issues since the 1970s when she worked in the anti-nuclear movement. She soon saw that the local population is rather interested in concrete and practical answers to the daily needs, like renewable energy which offer clean and affordable energy supply.

Jane served as a board member of the Danish Renewable Energy Organisation OVE. In 1987 she organised and chaired until 2006 a local windpower cooperative operating a 200 kW turbine. She was a member of the International Steering Committee of the International Renewable Energy Conference Renewables2004 (Bonn, Germany, June 2004) and is Head of Information and Training Programme of the Nordic Folkecenter for Renewable Energy.

Preben Maegaard has worked since the oil crisis in 1974 locally, nationally and internationally at the organisational, political and technological level for the transition from fossil and nuclear to renewable energy. Amongst other roles, he was Chairman of the Danish Renewable Energy Association, President of the World Wind Energy Association, is Director of the Folkecenter, President of the World Wind Energy Institute, Vice President of Eurosolar, Board Member of the European Renewable Energy Federation and Board Member of the World Council for Renewable Energy. His special dedication has always been to come to a more democratic structure of the energy supply and he has supported community power approaches as a powerful tool for that goal.

Paul Gipe is the advocate for decentralised wind energy investment in North America. His interest in wind energy grew out of his wish to limit the environmental effects of fossil and nuclear energy sources. Starting his work with wind energy in 1976, he has become since then the most important advocate for wind energy and community power in North America. As an author of several basic books and numerous articles on wind energy which have been translated into several languages he has contributed to the dissemination of wind technology to a broad American and international audience. Paul Gipe has been promoting feed-in legislation in the USA, Canada and the provinces and states. He has contributed directly to the Standard Offer Programme of Ontario as well as to new feed-in legislation which is currently under preparation in several US states.

We hope and expect that the World Wind Energy Award 2008 will encourage and support Jane Kruse, Paul Gipe and Preben Maegaard in continuing their excellent activities for community wind power. The development of renewable energy and wind energy has only started. We are facing the move towards a new energy era worldwide to which these pioneers have contributed so significantly.

Looking to the devotion of the awarded persons to the Renewable Energy Sector, we have to emphasise again that we are very proud today that we can present their names for the World Wind Energy Award 2008 for Outstanding Achievements for Wind Energy Dissemination and Community Wind Power.