Wind power for the world

andi BRATASIDA

Wind power for the world
Presented by Greenpeace International

Steve Sawyer, Greenpeace International, presented "Wind Force 12," a joint report by Greenpeace and the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA), which represents a blueprint for generation of 12% of the world's electricity from wind power by the year 2020.


Liana Bratasida, Indonesia, said that renewable energy use can be greatly expanded in Indonesia and that the country will run out of oil in the next 20 years at the current rate of exploitation.
Christian Kjaer, EWEA, provided an overview of the state of wind energy. He highlighted an annual rate of growth in wind energy of more than 40%, and outlined success stories in Denmark, Germany and India. He said cost reductions have made wind energy competitive with conventional energy sources on good sites, and underscored the need for power market reform to remove market distortions that favor fossil fuels and nuclear power.

Corin Millais, Greenpeace International, illustrated projections for wind energy over the next 20 years to meet growing electricity demand, build market share, prevent carbon dioxide emissions, and reduce electricity costs. He outlined policy recommendations made in the Wind Force 12 report, including the establishment of legally-binding targets for renewable energy supply and reform of electricity markets at the national level, and an increase in energy-sector lending for renewable energy projects at the international level.

Liana Bratasida, Indonesia, spoke on the state of wind power in Indonesia. Underscoring the importance of energy supply in supporting peoples' lifestyles and its links with poverty alleviation, she highlighted the need to enhance renewable energy policies and build social awareness of the availability and low costs of wind energy. She highlighted constraints in financial resources, capacity building and manufacturing capacity, and advocated enhanced partnerships to foster wind power use.

Discussion: Participants discussed, inter alia: reputed noise and bird kill problems associated with wind power; local ownership of turbines; rural wind power usage; comparative advantages of wind and solar power; and electricity market distortions.