Ted Turner: wind power and solar power, one of the greatest business opportunities

The WINDPOWER Conference & Exhibition, the largest annual wind energy trade show in the world, takes place May 22-25 in Anaheim, Calif. Turner will participate in the opening session on Monday May 23 (8:30-10:00 a.m.). A full program and registration details may be seen at www.windpowerexpo.org

Turner, viewed as a business visionary for creating a media giant from scratch and ushering in the 24-hour news era, is also one of the nation’s largest private landowners with over 2 million acres to his name. He recently launched Turner Renewable Energy, a partner in the new 30-megawatt Cimarron Solar Power Facility online since January in New Mexico.

"Given the current state of the world, it’s absolutely imperative that we turn our attention to renewable energy as soon as we possibly can," Turner said in advance of his visit to Anaheim. "The clean energy industry, which includes wind energy and solar energy, is one of the greatest business opportunities that our country has ever seen, and I urge you to take advantage. The days of fossil fuels are over. It’s just a matter of how soon everyone realizes it."

The format for Turner’s appearance at WINDPOWER 2011 will be particularly conducive to the business maverick’s straight-at-you style. AWEA CEO Denise Bode will join Turner onstage to talk wind power and renewables in a one-on-one Q&A session.

Turner’s trip to California for WINDPOWER 2011 comes at a seminal moment for the Golden State as well as America’s energy future. California recently enacted the nation’s strongest renewable electricity standard—33 percent renewables by 2020. Moreover, with spiking gasoline prices and the nuclear power plant crisis in Japan making headlines, Americans have energy at the top of their most pressing national issues for the first time in years.

Wind farm power has installed 35 percent of all new electric generating capacity in America since 2007, cementing wind turbines as a mainstream source of America’s energy. Its cost has dropped over the past few years as the technology has matured with more efficient manufacturing and better wind turbine performance, and wind energy is now one of the most cost-effective sources of new electricity generation, competing with new installations of natural gas in wind-rich areas, and costing less than either new coal or new nuclear power including tax incentives for all forms of energy. The United States is already a world leader in wind energy with 41,400 megawatts of installed capacity—enough clean energy to supply electricity to over 10 million American homes.

Registration remains open to see the growth of the U.S. wind industry first-hand at WINDPOWER2011 in Anaheim, Calif., May 22-25. Attendees can register online. Complimentary press registrations are available to those who meet AWEA’s media accreditation guidelines.

www.awea.org/