The Irish Wind Energy Association’s (IWEA) Autumn Conference, being held tomorrow (4th October) in the INEC Killarney, is the first ever large scale event in Irish history to be powered exclusively by wind energy.
The pioneering event will carry the WindMade label which confirms that the conference is run entirely by wind-generated electricity.
IWEA has taken this concept one step further and has committed to ensuring that any electricity consumed before and after its conference will be procured solely from wind power. This includes:
The two months of preparations ahead of the conference at IWEA’s Naas offices;
Power usage at the INEC in Killarney; and
Electricity used at the pre-conference dinner in the Brehon Hotel, Killarney.
In order to achieve this historic first, IWEA has committed to procuring an equivalent amount of GoldPower, a renewable energy label developed by Climate Friendly and the first global renewable energy label available to organisations anywhere in the world. Power is sourced from renewable electricity projects in developing countries that have no Kyoto emissions reduction target.
Kenneth Matthews, CEO of IWEA, said: “IWEA is delighted to make this announcement which is a milestone for wind energy in Ireland. As the national body representing the wind energy sector in Ireland, IWEA is committed to promoting the use of wind energy.
“IWEA believes that this pioneering event will show others that a conference or seminar of any size can be run solely on renewable energy. This spreads an important message that wind power has already become the technology of choice for many electricity users internationally, including event organisers and businesses of all size.”
The WindMade label was first awarded in November 2011 with founding members and pioneers stemming from a wide range of businesses which include Deutsche Bank, Motorola Mobility, Better Place and Lego.
Also commenting on the announcement, Henrik Kuffner, CEO, WindMade noted “WindMade’s objective is to provide an effective and intuitive marketing tool for emphasising the benefits of wind power to the general public. We believe that this is an important development for the wind sector, and highlighting this at an industry conference in Ireland is a great opportunity to showcase WindMade.”