Wind Industry Celebrates Global Wind Day

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Global Wind Day is a worldwide event that occurs annually on June 15th. It is a day for discovering wind, its power and the possibilities it holds to change our world.

In more than 75 countries around the world, wind farms are in operation, generating energy from a clean and renewable source.

Thousands of individuals are involved in the production of energy from the wind, but for many people, wind energy is a mystery. Global Wind Day is the day when you can visit wind farms, meet experts, attend events, take actions to support wind energy and find out everything you want to know about wind energy.

To mark the 6th Annual Global Wind Day on June 15th, the Canadian Wind Energy Association launched a redesigned annual Power of Wind Contest.

Students entering or in post-secondary education are eligible to submit multimedia or written entries on the theme of why wind energy is important to Canada’s future energy mix.

Last year’s Power of Wind Contest attracted over 500 thoughtful and creative blogs on how students can be part of a renewable energy future. This year, there will be four bursary prizes of $1,000 each awarded for the best blogs, the most creative submissions and the best use of multimedia.

Participants can submit their blog entries until September 15th, 2014. The winners will be announced at CanWEA’s Annual Awards Banquet in Montreal on October 29, 2014. Visit friendsofwind.ca for more information.

The Estonian Wind Power Association turned one of country’s wind turbines into art for this year’s Global Wind Day. The idea to decorate the turbine with dandelions was selected among 46 brilliant ideas sent for the competition “Art on Wind Turbine.”

The artwork was painted on one of the tower’s in Viru-Nigula wind farm in the East of Estonia and is well seen by people driving past the wind farm on Narva highway. The dandelions ready to let fly their seeds are symbolizing the flow of energy and wind.

In Ireland, where the Irish Wind Energy Association recently reported wind energy accounted for an average of 23 percent of electricity generation (from December 2013 to May 2014), wind farms hosted an array of events to celebrate wind energy. Some communities held public wind farm open-days so that families can learn about wind energy and see the turbines in operation themselves; others are inviting schools for fun, games and facts on wind.

The European Wind Energy Association and the Global Wind Energy Council coordinate the Global Wind Day through a network of partners. The day started as a European one in 2007 and went Global in 2009. On June 15, hundreds of public events are organized all over the world.