Windforce 12 2004

Energy is fundamental to economic and social development, both North and South. Yet, at the dawn of the 21st century, we are confronted with the unacceptable fact that there are nearly 2 billion people without access to basic energy services. At the same time, we are facing the greatest threat to our collective survival because of our unsustainable use of energy: global climate change. Wind Force 12 gives us a glimpse of the solution – how we can begin to meet our present needs without compromising the needs of future generations. Wind energy is the first of the ‘new renewable’ technologies to have penetrated the energy markets in some parts of the developed world in a serious way with the right kind of policy support. The wind industry can lead the way for other renewable energy technologies: as it matures and penetrates markets world wide it drives costs down which will make this technology competitive worldwide including developing countries.