Annual Wind Energy Conference to Focus on Integration

WIndiana 2010, Indiana’s only statewide wind energy industry conference will be held July 21-22 at the Indianapolis Convention Center. This year’s overall theme is “Integrating Wind in Indiana”. Attendance at the 2-day conference is expected to surpass last year’s record breaking numbers. The conference has also expanded to include three separate tracks, focusing on utility scale wind, Indiana’s wind industry supply chain, and Community/Smaller wind.

Lt. Governor Becky Skillman will deliver a keynote address at the conference. “Indiana’s wind power industry continues to grow.” said Lt. Governor Skillman. “As more wind farms are built, as smaller wind facilities are installed, as more wind turbines manufacturing supply chain jobs are created, we must understand how it all works together towards Indiana’s energy and economic future.”

The conference will have 15 sessions spread across the two days. On the afternoon of July 22, a guided bus tour of the Horizon Energy Meadow Lake I wind farm in White county will be conducted. Those interested in Community/Smaller wind will get a tour of the wind energy and solar power installation at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. A tour of a wind turbine supply chain manufacturing facility is also being arranged.

“WIndiana is a chance for those in the wind industry in our state, or those who would like to be, to get together and discuss common interest and issues, “said Brandon Seitz, Director of the Indiana Office of Energy Development (OED) “That’s why we have expanded even further the exhibition floor, and provided a variety of venues for discussion and networking.”

OED and the Energy Center at Purdue’s Discovery Park serve as organizing sponsors for the conference. Registration and sponsorship details, including a conference agenda are available at www.energy.IN.gov.

Indiana has five privately developed wind farms in operation generating over 1,000 MW of wind power. A sixth facility is under construction, and a number of other wind farms are proposed. It is projected that there could be approximately 3,000 MW of wind power in operation in Indiana by 2013. In addition to the farms themselves, 11 Hoosier companies manufacture wind turbine components. These companies employ 1,000 Hoosier workers. That number is expected to jump by at least 500 in 2010.

The Office of Energy Development (OED) was created in December 2005 as an extension of the Indiana energy office. Under the leadership of Lt. Governor Becky Skillman, OED is responsible for the state’s energy policy. 

www.energy.in.gov

www.in.gov/lg/