At its annual conference in Killarney tomorrow, the Irish Wind Energy Association (IWEA) is planning to run the event entirely by wind-generated electricity.
According to the IWEA, the event will carry the WindMade label, the new global consumer label for firms using wind energy. The label, which first came out in 2011, is backed by founding members from a range of business sectors, including Deutsche Bank, Motorola Mobility, Better Place and Lego.
The IWEA said that any electricity consumed before and after its conference will be procured solely from wind power.
In order to cover the electricity used at the event, the IWEA said it has committed to procuring an equivalent amount of GoldPower, a renewable energy label developed by Climate Friendly. Power is sourced from renewable electricity projects in developing countries that have no Kyoto emissions reduction target.
Kenneth Matthews, CEO of the IWEA, said that the aim is show other conference organisers that such events can be run solely on renewable energy.
Wind-energy uptake in the EU
Just last week, the European Wind Energy Association announced that the European Union has now 100 gigawatts of wind power capacity connected to the electricity grid. Of that figure, wind-farm installations on the island of Ireland have contributed 2,127 megawatts of wind power capacity. According to the IWEA, that’s enough capacity to generate electricity to meet the total consumption of around 1.53m Irish households over a year.
As for tomorrow’s conference, the IWEA will be covering energy opportunities in both domestic and export markets. There will also be a trade exhibit for companies to showcase their products and services for the wind-energy industry.
Wind turbine image via Shutterstock
