Wind Energy Association (1970s)

Wind Energy Association (1970s)
Name	Wind Energy Association (1970s)
Formation	1970s
Type	Trade association
Headquarters	Unknown
Region served	International
Languages	English

Wind Energy Association (1970s) The Wind Energy Association (1970s) was a trade organization active during the 1970s that coordinated advocacy, research collaboration, and industry standards among early wind developers, policymakers, and academic institutions. It operated amid the energy crises involving 1973 oil crisis, 1979 energy crisis, and competing policy initiatives in the United States Department of Energy, European Economic Community, and national ministries in Denmark, United Kingdom, and Germany. The association interfaced with corporations, universities, and nonprofit organizations such as General Electric, Siemens, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Technical University of Denmark.

History and Formation

The association emerged after heightened attention from the 1973 oil crisis, following exploratory projects by entities like NASA, United States Navy, and experimental programs at Sandia National Laboratories. Founders included former engineers and policy advocates connected to American Wind Energy Association, Danish Wind Turbine Manufacturers Association, and researchers from Stanford University, Imperial College London, and RWTH Aachen University. Early conferences convened in venues near Copenhagen, Washington, D.C., and Brussels, bringing together representatives of Department of Energy (United States), European Commission, and the International Energy Agency.

Mission and Objectives

The association stated objectives aligning with industrial coordination observed in organizations like International Electrotechnical Commission, International Renewable Energy Agency, and World Bank programs. It sought to standardize turbine testing similar to methodologies used at NASA facilities, accelerate deployment comparable to pilot programs at Altamont Pass Wind Farm and Crotched Mountain, and promote market mechanisms advocated by members connected to Ford Motor Company, Exxon, and humanitarian groups such as United Nations Development Programme. Additional aims included influencing legislation parallel to measures enacted by the U.S. Congress during the Energy Policy and Conservation Act debates and coordinating with national labs like Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Organizational Structure and Membership

Structured like contemporary trade bodies such as American Petroleum Institute and International Chamber of Commerce, the association maintained a governing council composed of executives from GE, Siemens, Vestas-linked founders, and academic directors from MIT, Delft University of Technology, and ETH Zurich. Membership categories mirrored those of World Resources Institute affiliates: industrial manufacturers, utility companies like Pacific Gas and Electric Company, research institutes like Fraunhofer Society, and non-governmental actors including Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth. Committees addressed standards, finance, and public outreach with liaisons to agencies such as Office of Technology Assessment and national standards bodies like British Standards Institution.

Activities and Programs

The association organized symposia akin to the WindEnergy Hamburg fairs and published technical bulletins reminiscent of outputs from Scientific American and IEEE. Programs included cooperative testbeds modeled on DOE Wind Program projects, training workshops for technicians inspired by curricula at State University of New York campuses, and pilot procurement coordination similar to municipal programs in New York City and Copenhagen. It convened working groups on siting, environmental assessment, and grid integration with utilities such as Southern California Edison and transmission operators reflecting practices from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation.

Policy Advocacy and Political Influence

Advocacy efforts paralleled lobbying by organizations like American Wind Energy Association and sought incentives echoing tax provisions debated during the Energy Tax Act era. The association engaged with legislators in United States Senate committees, European parliaments including the European Parliament, and national ministries in Denmark and Netherlands to press for feed-in support similar to later German Renewable Energy Sources Act mechanisms. It coordinated testimony with academic experts from Princeton University and Yale University and filed position papers addressing tariff reform, utility regulation associated with Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and procurement policies used by entities such as NASA and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Research, Innovation, and Technology Initiatives

Research collaborations linked laboratories including Sandia National Laboratories, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and university groups at MIT and Stanford University. Projects emphasized blade aerodynamics influenced by work from Glenn Research Center, gearbox reliability studies with manufacturers like Siemens, and resource assessment methods paralleling programs by World Meteorological Organization. The association fostered prototype exchanges resembling programs at Brookhaven National Laboratory and supported instrumentation standards akin to IEEEadopted practices for power electronics, SCADA systems, and material testing.

Legacy and Impact on the Wind Energy Industry

By coordinating early standardization, fostering cross-border research, and influencing policy debates during the 1973 oil crisis and 1979 energy crisis, the association helped lay groundwork for later institutional developments including the expansion of National Renewable Energy Laboratory programs, the rise of manufacturers such as Vestas and Siemens Gamesa, and regulatory innovations echoing the German Renewable Energy Sources Act and Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978. Its convening role influenced conferences that evolved into platforms like American Wind Energy Association annual meetings and scientific gatherings at European Wind Energy Association venues, leaving a legacy evident in modern collaborations among International Renewable Energy Agency, United Nations Development Programme, and national research networks.

Category:Wind power organizations Category:1970s establishments