Program Information


WINDPOWER 2012 Conference Program offers 16 specialized, market-specific tracks to address various aspects of today's wind energy industry and two General Sessions featuring notable speakers and visionaries.

General Sessions

Monday, June 4 at 8:30am

 

Brownback
Governor Sam Brownback

WINDPOWER welcomes The Honorable Sam Brownback, Governor of Kansas. With a plentiful wind resource, Kansas has long been a leader in wind energy development. With enough wind energy potential to provide more than 90 times the state's current electricity needs - Kansas knows wind. Governor Sam Brownback (R) has long championed the value of harnessing those wind resources.

 

 

Ted Turner
Ted Turner

Entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner returns to WINDPOWER this year, welcoming attendees to his hometown of Atlanta by delivering opening remarks at the WINDPOWER 2012 Opening Session on Monday. Turner, founder and former head of CNN, has been a renewable energy supporter for years and thinks the U.S. needs to develop clean energy sources, but lacks a strong environmental and energy policy.

 

Monday's General Session will also include a special feature recognizing the past presidents and chairs of the AWEA Board of Directors for their contributions to the wind industry.  Click here for a full list of past chairs and presidents.

 

 
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Tuesday, June 5 at 8:30am

 

Karl Rove
Karl Rove

WINDPOWER 2012 is pleased to welcome Karl Rove, Former Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to President George W. Bush, and Robert Gibbs, Former White House Press Secretary and longtime Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama, as keynote speakers in Tuesday's General Session. 

 

 

 

Robert Gibbs
Robert Gibbs

Our nation's current energy policy agenda has given rise to a number of potential implications and outcomes in the wind energy field. Both Mr. Rove and Mr. Gibbs possess extensive experience in agenda setting and are able to offer dynamic and insightful views on some of the most pressing issues being discussed in the White House and on the Hill. This 2012 election year is one of great importance to the industry, and it is imperative that all stakeholders in the energy sector understand the varying policy proposals and perspectives that are playing a hand in setting the agenda. This session will not only cover all sides of energy policy debate, but will also point out areas in which party perspectives overlap and give way to the opportunity for building bipartisan cohesiveness and solidarity.

 

 

Market Update Track

 

The Market Updates Track offers keen insights into upcoming demand opportunities for wind and relative market competitiveness, addressing issues such as regional supply, future expectations for market drivers, cost fluctuation, and regional wind development. Sessions cover topics from market conditions and regions displaying potential for growth to federal tax, energy and environmental policies and how they affect wind energy demand.

 

  • Post 2012: Wind Market Assessment of Supply, Demand & Cost

  • Road Map to Wind Development in the Southeast

  • Decisive Policy: Expanding the U.S. Wind Energy Industry

 

Project Development Track

 

The Project Development Track focuses on how developers are responding to market constraints in order to boost public enthusiasm and investor confidence in the wind industry. Sessions identify present constraints and regional wind energy development, statistics, policies, and market drivers. Speakers offer a better understanding of how leading wind energy experts are pushing global wind development into the future as they explain new commercial opportunities, market expansion, and what lesson may be learned and applied from other industries.  

 

  • Development in a Seasoned Market: Where Do We Go From Here?

  • POWER SESSION: International Wind Energy Update

  • International Markets for Wind Power: Growth and Expansion

 

Transmission Track

 

The Transmission Track explores the various connectivity research challenges and techniques, as wind becomes a more viable, reliable and competitive national energy source. The track sessions highlight how research aids in connecting wind power to all regions of the nation. Expert panelists discuss their perspectives in key wind energy areas, regional utilities, and generation developers and state regulators. Attendees gain a better understanding of research applications, transmission progress, and the technical challenges associated with plants.  

 

  • Opening Scientific Session: The Science of the Wind Industry  

  • Operation Transmission: Plugging Wind into America  

  • Technical Challenges for Wind Plant Interconnections

 

Resource Assessment Track

 

The Resource Assessment Track provides a comprehensive look at some of the wind resource assessment field's hottest and most widely discussed topics, from turbine performance in varying atmospheric conditions, to modeling wind flow and measuring wind speed. Panelists discuss the evolution of wind resource assessments, identify varying flow models and measurement techniques, and outline advancements and developments in wind farm design.  

 

  • Critical Topics Currently Influencing Resource Assessment  

  • Modeling and Measurement: Current Advancements in the State of the Art (Scientific)  

  • Prepare for the Best: Resource Assessment at 100 GW

 

Community & Distributed Wind Track

 

Discussions within the Community & Distributed Wind Track's sessions address the future potential of, and economic value in, community and distributed wind. The growing popularity of community wind projects is bringing numerous jobs and economic stimulus to communities, creating neighborhood purpose and sustainability. Similarly, distributed wind's role in emerging and domestic markets demonstrates the strength and value it brings to our national economy. Speakers in the track examine the successes and challenges that these sectors face, as well as what the future holds for the industry.  

 

  • Community Wind: A Diversified and Promising Sector  

  • Economic Value of Distributed Wind  

  • Real World Impacts of Distributed Wind

 

Finance Track

 

The Finance Track takes an in-depth look at various financial factors affecting the wind industry, including changing policies, regulatory drivers, capital providers, debt and tax equity, and how such elements impact project financing and development and the overall demand for wind. Topics include state and local property and sales tax regimes, RPS procurement models, the state of the market, new and alternative sources of capital available, and project developers.  

 

  • State and Regional Policy Demand Drivers for Wind  

  • Project Finance Market Update and Outlook  

  • How to Finance Wind Projects

 

Siting Track

 

The Siting Track offers policy, biological, and market experts who delve into issues including wind energy impacts on wildlife, social acceptance of wind studies, and how policymakers and industry leaders are attempting to separate fact from fiction on some of the most pressing issues facing wind energy.  

 

  • Siting Impact Assessments: Addressing Pre- and Post-Construction Due Diligence  

  • Eagles and Bats: The Intersection of Policy and Science  

  • Community Toolbox: Overcome Wind Energy Opposition at the Community Level

 

Utility Track

 

The Utility Track's sessions provide important information on utility efforts to bring higher levels of wind power to their systems, and a greater understanding of state regulatory regimes and their impact on long-term contracts between wind developers and energy suppliers. Through a series of case studies, sessions speakers describe how the largest utilities in the U.S. acquire wind energy, which utilities use power purchase agreements (PPAs) and how those impact their businesses, and which utilities own wind projects and how they obtained support for their strategy.  

 

  • Critical Wind Power Topics for Electric Utilities 

  • Long-Term Wind Power Contracts and State Policies  

  • Utility Strategies for Wind Power: Case Studies

 

Supply Chain Track

 

The Supply Chain Track explores how to lower the installed cost of wind energy in the U.S. through the use of efficient and innovative transportation, logistics, and construction systems; how wind power development strengthens the tax base of communities, increases jobs and bring economic growth; and different perspectives on how to succeed in the wind industry.  

 

  • On Land & In the Water - What Does the Future Hold for Construction, Transportation & Logistics  

  • Wind Turbine Supply Chain Opportunities and Challenges  

  • The Role of Wind Power in Economic Development and Jobs Creation

 

Turbine Design Track

 

The Turbine Design Track explores the structural performances and evolving advancements of wind turbine designs. The ultimate goal of this track is to share practices and data available to improve our understanding and standardization of wind turbine control, structural, and mechanical designs.  

 

  • Wind Turbine Gear Design  

  • Full-Scale Wind Turbine Testing and Validation  

  • Wind Turbine Blade Structural Design, Analysis and Manufacturing (Scientific)

 

Turbine Track

 

The turbine market is emerging from mainstream concepts to leading-edge technologies. Join industry experts as they recap 2011, and forecast 2012 market conditions. Discuss global competitiveness, domestic policy, and market issues relative to turbine manufacturers in the U.S., and explore new trends and innovative concepts related to drivetrain and blade technology. This track provides in-depth, comprehensive discussions, and each session welcomes interactive dialogue from attendees. 

 

  • Large Wind Turbine Manufacturer Forum Part 1 and 2  

  • Drivetrain Technology Options

 

Turbine Performance Track

 

The Turbine Performance Track provides greater understanding into the many components of turbine reliability and power curve measurements, including equipment maintenance and what really works to keep wind project operating as expected.  

 

  • Power Performance: Observations from the Field  

  • Performance and Reliability (Scientific)  

  • Turbine Reliability: Lessons from the Real World

 

Offshore Track

 

The Offshore Track delves into a wide array of topics including how shortening timelines can reduce costs and incentivize the market, the science, engineering, and policy issues of offshore wind, innovative advancements in the configuration of floating offshore wind turbines, current and future research applications, coupled with European lesson being used here in the U.S.  

 

  • Offshore Wind: Can We Create a Viable Market in the U.S.?  

  • Integrated Risks for Offshore Wind: A Broad-Based Research Perspective  

  • Innovative Research in Offshore Wind Technologies (Scientific)

 

Wind Deployment Track

 

The Wind Deployment Track covers several emerging applications and issues concerning the wind power workforce. Speakers deliver presentations related to environmental compliance and safety performance; building effective workforce training programs to sharpen employees' skills; and cutting-edge analysis and thought-provoking subject matters relative to the role of wind power.  

 

  • How Does Your EHS Program Measure Up?  

  • Laying the Foundation for a Strong Workforce  

  • Emerging Applications and Issues for Wind Power

 

Integration Track

 

The Integration Track takes dynamic approach to exploring the scientific and economic frameworks of wind integration and forecasting techniques. Sessions will discuss the costs, reliability implications, and balancing challenges associated with high wind penetration, as well as long-term and short-term wind forecasting accuracy. Panelists provide detailed accounts of value of regional aggregation of wind resources, the costs associated with integrating renewables, and the effects of wind transfers on reserves, persistence forecasting, and balancing approaches.  

 

  • Investigating Advanced Wind Forecasting Techniques (Scientific)  

  • Grid Integration of Wind: Solving the Technical and economic Challenges  

  • Expanding the Science behind Wind Integration Analysis (Scientific)


Academic Track

 

The Academic Track is dedicated to promoting the work being done by the academic community in support of wind energy. Sessions in this track feature detailed research being conducted by students, faculty, and educational programs.  

 

  • Technology Updates

  • Wind, Turbine Performance and Reliability  

  • Turbine Component Innovation  

  • Siting and Public Outreach




To see a PDF version of the complete WINDPOWER 2012 program (Updated as of 3/27) please CLICK HERE.