WindMade™ label standard presented to U.S. market
(Updated 1:17 p.m. June 15: This update contains information provided by AWEA VP for Public Affairs Peter Kelley, who attended the New York City launch event.)
New York City, 15 June 2011: WindMade™, the first global consumer label for companies using wind energy, was presented to the public today, on Global Wind Day (15 June).The WindMade™ initiative took shape as the proposed WindMade™ technical standard enters a two-month public consultation period.
The proposed standard requires participating companies to source a minimum of 25 per cent of their electricity demand from wind power. This level is set to strike a balance between an ambitious target and an achievable goal for progressive companies striving to make a tangible impact.
For further details, see the AWEA news release on WindMadeTM
Today's WindMade launch press event for Global Wind Day in New York was quite successful.
We had 21 reporters in person, including Financial Times, CNNMoney.com, Bloomberg, Marketwatch, Fast Company, SNL Energy, SmartMoney, Power Finance & Risk, Christian Science Monitor, AOL Finance, Discovery's Treehugger, Good News Broadcast, and stringers for The New York Times and Huffington Post. On the phone were several additional reporters including for Renewable Energy World. The briefing team is now with Dow Jones at their offices, and will go next to The Street, and tomorrow morning, to brief Reuters.
The room was packed with 36 people for breakfast, including spokespeople, founding partners such as Bloomberg and PriceWaterhouseCoopers, others interested such as a Clean Currents representative, and PR staff for Vestas, WindMade, GWEC (the Global Wind Energy Council), and AWEA.
A survey that Vestas recently took for this project in the U.S. and several other countries found 79% of consumers were willing to pay more for products made with wind energy.
Having said that, becoming WindMade will not necessarily increase the price of any product because in many regions of the U.S., for example, utilities have found wind actually reduces the cost of their overall portfolio and they're able to lock in today's favorable rates for 20 to 30 years, something they can't do with any energy source that requires fuel. In addition to shielding everyone from price spikes that inevitably occur, as they have recently because of the oil price shocks, wind uses no water, a resource which many experts believe will become increasingly expensive in future years.
Support for a WindMade™-style label complements the 89% of Americans who told pollsters Neil Newhouse and Amy Bennett in April 2010 that they want more wind energy. On a similar question, the Harris survey found 87% U.S. support for more wind energy in October 2010.
Here is the link for the press kit for today's launch. It will download as a zip file, which can then be double-clicked to unpack the entire folder.
https://www.yousendit.com/download/UnlCVWRtRStFc0pjR0E9PQ
As was said at today's briefing, getting certified as WindMade™ is not just a chance for companies to show they're making a difference, it's a chance to build market share with all the consumers who love wind power — and potentially, lock in, for 20 to 30 years, today's affordable prices for wind-powered electricity.
