“Small wind is getting more and more attention all over the world, and some markets have reached remarkable sizes,” says the World Wind Energy Association (WWEA), which has organised the 3rd World Summit for Small Wind in cooperation with New Energy Husum, the German Small Wind Association BVKW and the German Wind Energy Association BWE. The event takes place in Husum (Germany) on 15-16 March 2012.
WSSW2012 will cover two main areas, "Markets around the World" and "New standards for innovation".
On day 1, speakers from all over the world will present the most interesting markets for small wind turbines. Experts from Canada, China, Denmark, Germany, India, Poland, South Korea, Spain, the UK, USA and Zimbabwe will present the current status, prospects and key challenges for small wind in their home countries.
As a highlight of the WSSW2012, WWEA will launch the first edition of the Small Wind World Report 2012. This report finds that almost 700,000 small wind turbines have been installed worldwide, with China by far the largest market for small wind (450,000 installed units) followed by USA.
WWEA estimates that there are more than 330 companies manufacturing small wind turbines, disseminated over more than 40 countries, and most of them in China, USA, Germany, Canada and the UK.
The first day will end with a panel discussion that will identify the most promising key markets for small wind.
Day 2 will be dedicated to "New standards for innovation": The day will start with a keynote address on general challenges that the small wind industry faces all over the world. The small wind industry needs appropriate technical, economic and social standards in order to foster innovation, increase confidence of investors, consumers and governments into this still young technology. Hence technical standards and certification schemes from different parts of the world will be presented, amongst them the international consumer label as promoted by the International Energy Agency.
Also resource assessment as well as approaches for establishing local small wind manufacturing in order to maximize local benefits will be presented. The second day will conclude with a panel discussion and the guiding question: "What are the main challenges for small wind? Do current standards enhance innovation?"
For additional information:
