World Wind Energy Association

The World Wind Energy Association (WWEA) is an international nonprofit organization representing and promoting the wind power sector worldwide. Established in 2001, it brings together national and regional wind-energy associations, research institutions, companies, public bodies, consultants, academics, students, and individual supporters. Its membership has included organizations and individuals from more than 100 countries, giving it a broad geographic and societal base rather than the profile of a conventional commercial trade association. WWEA’s central objective is to accelerate the worldwide adoption of wind energy and to support an energy system based on renewable sources. Its work combines policy advocacy, international networking, sector research, public communication, and the organization of conferences. The association presents wind power as part of a wider transition away from fossil fuels and toward decentralized, community-based, and increasingly integrated renewable-energy systems. A major part of WWEA’s public role has been participation in international energy and climate-policy discussions. The association has communicated policy positions through statements and resolutions associated with its World Wind Energy Conferences, and it has engaged with intergovernmental and international organizations. WWEA received special consultative status with the United Nations in 2007 and has been accredited to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. It has also reported cooperation with bodies including UNEP, UNESCO, UNDESA, the International Energy Agency, and the World Bank. The organization supported the creation of the International Renewable Energy Agency and became a founding member of the International Renewable Energy Alliance, alongside international organizations representing hydropower, solar, geothermal, and later bioenergy. WWEA’s signature activity is the World Wind Energy Conference and Exhibition (WWEC), designed to rotate among continents and connect global wind-policy debates with local markets. Conferences have been held in locations including Berlin, Cape Town, Beijing, Melbourne, New Delhi, Mar del Plata, Kingston, Jeju Island, Istanbul, Cairo, Bonn, Havana, Shanghai, Jerusalem, Tokyo, and Malmö. Their themes have covered community power, large-scale grid integration, distributed generation, citizen participation, and pathways toward fully renewable energy systems. The events have also served as venues for government, industry, research, and civil-society exchange. The association’s influence is primarily convening and policy-oriented. It does not manufacture turbines, develop wind farms, or sell electricity. Instead, it provides a platform for members, publishes or supports sector information, advocates enabling policies, and raises public awareness of wind technology. Its activities have included support for feed-in tariffs, community ownership, distributed generation, and international renewable-energy cooperation. WWEA has linked several conferences to policy momentum in host countries, including the development of wind programs in China and the adoption of Ontario’s Green Energy Act after the 2008 conference in Kingston, although such policy outcomes involve many actors and cannot be attributed solely to the association. The organization is headquartered in Bonn, close to the United Nations campus. The reference material identifies Peter Rae of Australia as president and Stefan Gsänger as secretary-general during the period described. WWEA’s governance model includes a president and vice presidents representing different continents, reflecting its international membership. As a membership-based advocacy organization, its continuing relevance depends on the growth of wind deployment, the need for renewable-energy policy coordination, and debates over grid integration, public participation, and the design of future energy systems.

The World Wind Energy Association was founded in 2001 to provide an international platform for the promotion and deployment of wind-energy technology. Its founders included national wind-energy associations from different countries, while its broader membership developed to include scientific and research institutions, companies, public bodies, consultants, laboratories, academics, students, and individual wind-energy supporters. This structure gave WWEA a wider constituency than a conventional industry group focused only on equipment manufacturers or project developers. From its early years, WWEA combined advocacy with international conference organization. Its World Wind Energy Conferences and Exhibitions were designed to rotate between continents and to address the technical, economic, social, and political conditions affecting wind development in different regions. The early conference program included Berlin in 2002, Cape Town in 2003, Beijing in 2004, Melbourne in 2005, New Delhi in 2006, and Mar del Plata in 2007. Later meetings were held in Kingston, Ontario; Jeju Island; Istanbul; Cairo; Bonn; Havana; Shanghai; Jerusalem; Tokyo; and Malmö. These events addressed subjects such as community ownership, citizen participation, large-scale grid integration, distributed generation, and the relationship between wind power and a 100-percent-renewable energy system. WWEA gradually expanded its role in international energy diplomacy. It participated in the 2004 International Conference for Renewable Energies in Bonn and the 2005 Beijing International Renewable Energy Conference. The association also supported the establishment of the International Renewable Energy Agency from 2003 onward; IRENA was founded in Bonn in January 2009. In 2007, WWEA received special consultative status with the United Nations and obtained accreditation to the UN climate-process framework. The organization has also described cooperation with UNEP, UNESCO, UNDESA, the International Energy Agency, and the World Bank, as well as participation in renewable-energy networks such as REN21 and the World Council for Renewable Energy. Another institutional milestone was WWEA’s role in the International Renewable Energy Alliance. The alliance linked organizations representing wind, hydropower, solar, geothermal, and bioenergy interests. Through these relationships, WWEA placed wind power within a broader renewable-energy policy agenda rather than treating it as an isolated technology sector. The association’s conferences sometimes coincided with important policy discussions in host markets. The Beijing conference was later associated with increased momentum behind China’s wind-energy program, while the Kingston conference in 2008 focused on community power and was linked in the reference material to the policy development that preceded Ontario’s Green Energy Act. WWEA also used conference programming for public engagement; the 2006 New Delhi meeting included a painting competition involving schoolchildren, connecting professional sector advocacy with public education. By November 2019, the association was described as having more than 600 members in over 100 countries on all continents. Its headquarters remained in Bonn near the United Nations campus. The organization is governed by an internationally representative board, with the reference material naming Peter Rae as president and Stefan Gsänger as secretary-general. WWEA’s continuing function is to represent wind energy in policy debates, disseminate information, connect national and regional associations, and encourage renewable-energy systems that include both large-scale projects and community-led or distributed generation.

• 2019

  Membership exceeds 600 organizations and individuals

  [1]World Wind Energy Associationen.wikipedia.org

  Reference material described WWEA as having more than 600 members in over 100 countries.

• 2012

  WWEC returns to Bonn

  [1]World Wind Energy Associationen.wikipedia.org

  The Bonn conference focused on community power and citizen participation in renewable-energy development.

• 2009

  IRENA founded in Bonn

  [1]World Wind Energy Associationen.wikipedia.org

  The International Renewable Energy Agency was founded in Bonn after years of support for the initiative from WWEA and other renewable-energy organizations.

• 2007

  United Nations consultative status

  [1]World Wind Energy Associationen.wikipedia.org

  WWEA received special consultative status with the United Nations and strengthened its participation in international policy processes.

• 2004

  WWEC held in Beijing

  [1]World Wind Energy Associationen.wikipedia.org

  The Beijing conference attracted more than 2,000 participants and became a major international wind-energy event outside Europe and the United States.

• 2002

  First World Wind Energy Conference

  [1]World Wind Energy Associationen.wikipedia.org

  The first listed WWEC was held in Berlin, beginning the association’s rotating international conference series.

• 2001

  Association founded

  [1]World Wind Energy Associationen.wikipedia.org

  WWEA was established as an international organization dedicated to promoting wind energy and its global deployment.

Global wind-energy advocacy, convening, and policy organization

• Conference and exhibition · 2002

  World Wind Energy Conference and Exhibition

  WWEA’s principal recurring platform is an international conference and exhibition held in different regions and countries. The series brings together wind associations, policymakers, researchers, companies, civil-society organizations, and members of the public. Themes have included community power, citizen ownership, grid integration, distributed generation, and renewable-energy system design. The events function as both professional gatherings and instruments of policy advocacy.

• Policy advocacy

  Wind-energy policy statements and resolutions

  The association produces public positions and conference resolutions supporting wider wind deployment and renewable-energy development. These materials are intended to inform political decision-makers and contribute to international debates about energy systems, climate policy, market rules, community participation, and technology deployment.

• Professional membership · 2001

  Membership and international networking

  WWEA offers a network for national and regional wind associations, research bodies, companies, public institutions, academics, students, and individual supporters. Its membership model connects local and national sector organizations with international renewable-energy policy discussions and provides a basis for collaboration across continents.

• 2008Community Power advocacy

  Canada · North America · Global

  The Kingston WWEC emphasized community power and citizen participation, highlighting decentralized ownership and local involvement in renewable-energy development.

  Outcome. The reference material links the conference to momentum preceding Ontario’s Green Energy Act and its feed-in-tariff framework.

  Source
• 2006Wind-energy public education in New Delhi

  India

  The New Delhi conference included a painting competition for schoolchildren, using public and youth engagement to increase awareness of wind energy.

  Outcome. The activity broadened the conference’s educational reach beyond industry and government participants.

  Source
• 2003Support for an International Renewable Energy Agency

  Global

  WWEA supported the international initiative to establish a dedicated agency for renewable energy, helping keep the proposal visible in global energy-policy discussions.

  Outcome. IRENA was founded in Bonn in January 2009.

  Source

• 2009

  Build alliances across renewable-energy technologiesStrategy

  Background

  Wind policy was increasingly discussed as part of an integrated renewable-energy transition rather than as a standalone technology issue.

  Action taken

  WWEA participated in the International Renewable Energy Alliance with organizations representing hydropower, solar, geothermal, and bioenergy.

  Aftermath

  The association strengthened its cross-technology renewable-energy advocacy network.

  Source

• 2007

  Deepen engagement with the United Nations systemStrategy

  Background

  International renewable-energy deployment increasingly depended on participation in climate, development, and energy-policy institutions.

  Action taken

  WWEA obtained special consultative status with the United Nations and accreditation to the UN climate-policy process.

  Aftermath

  The association gained a formal channel for contributing to selected international policy discussions.

  Source

• 2002

  Launch a rotating World Wind Energy Conference seriesOther

  Background

  The association needed a forum capable of connecting wind-energy policy, research, industry, and public participation across regions.

  Action taken

  WWEA began organizing the WWEC in different countries and continents, starting with Berlin.

  Aftermath

  The conference became the association’s principal recurring platform and was subsequently held in numerous major wind-energy markets.

  Source

• 2001

  Create a globally representative wind-energy associationStrategy

  Background

  Wind energy was developing across different national markets, but sector organizations and policy debates remained fragmented geographically.

  Action taken

  WWEA was established with national associations as important founding participants and with membership categories extending to research institutions, companies, public bodies, and individuals.

  Aftermath

  The organization developed an international membership and advocacy network covering more than 100 countries.

  Source

• 2017

  World Wind Energy Conference series continues across multiple continents[1]World Wind Energy Associationen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The annual or near-annual WWEC series reached Malmö, Sweden, following events in Asia, Europe, Africa, North and South America, the Middle East, and Oceania.

• 2009

  International Renewable Energy Alliance expands its founding partnership[1]World Wind Energy Associationen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  WWEA was identified as a founding member of the International Renewable Energy Alliance, which brought together international renewable-energy organizations from several technology sectors.

• 2007

  WWEA receives special consultative status at the United Nations[1]World Wind Energy Associationen.wikipedia.org

  Regulation

  The association was granted special consultative status with the United Nations, formalizing its ability to contribute to selected international policy discussions.

1. 1World Wind Energy Associationen.wikipedia.org
2. 2World Wind Energy Association official websitewwindea.org