The conference floor was a busy place at CanWEA2013 in Toronto. An anticipated 1,500 industry experts and 150 exhibitors will meet in Montreal.
The Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) and Hannover Fairs USA have announced that CanWEA’s 30th Annual Conference and Exhibition attracted close to 1,500 registrants. The CanWEA 2014 Exhibition covered more than 30,000 square feet of exhibit space and hosted 120 international exhibiting companies. CanWEA 2015 will be held October 5 to 7, 2015 in Toronto, Ontario.
“Wind energy is now a mainstream power source in North American electricity markets, and CanWEA 2014 brought together industry leaders to discuss, network and negotiate the business deals that will drive the industry going forward,” said CanWEA president Robert Hornung. “CanWEA 2014 visitors again expressed their enthusiasm for the show’s insights into Canada’s growing wind energy market.”
Canada is one of the top five wind power producing countries in the world, having added 1,600 MW of new turbines in the last year.
A conference highlight
A highlight of this year’s conference took place prior to the Monday, October 27th plenary session when a large group of registrants toured The Kruger Energy Montérégie wind farm just outside of Montreal. Those who attended were given an in-depth demonstration of this 100 MW capacity wind farm. Attendees learned about how the Montérégie site generates enough renewable energy to heat approximately 10,000 homes and were given the chance to experience the wind farm’s ENERCON wind turbines in action. Those who attended the tour were also briefed on Montérégie’s economic benefits for the region and how the wind farm continues to generate outstanding community support.
New wind power Tech on display
Global wind energy solutions providers, such as EDF EN Canada, Enercon, GE Power & Water, Senvion, Siemens and Vestas demonstrated a broad range of new and emerging cost-competitive, clean energy technologies on the show floor. Innovations demonstrated on the floor included wind power turbines, wind blades, electrical transmission systems, wind forecasting systems, operations & maintenance services, output management systems, project planning and wind energy optimization solutions that will continue to revolutionize the wind power space.
“CanWEA’s annual trade show and conference remains the biggest gathering of high-profile representatives of the Canadian wind industry,” said Eva Lotta Schmidt, Business Development Manager of ENERCON Canada. “ENERCON Canada once again made excellent connections and is already looking forward to the 2015 edition in Toronto.”
Commenting on his firm’s decision to exhibit, André Bousette, Rittal Systems Regional Director Wind, Eastern Canada, said, “CanWEA 2014 allows us to get in touch with customers we normally don´t meet, such as Senvion. It is a well-organized show that gives us the opportunity to talk to people about solutions we have that will be applicable in the future, and the whole Wind Energy Sector is about the future!”
“Many exhibitors expressed how pleased they were that CanWEA 2014 attracted an outstanding group of uniquely qualified attendees,” said Larry Turner, President and CEO of Hannover Fairs USA, the U.S. subsidiary of trade event organizer Deutsche Messe and CanWEA exhibition partner. “Exhibitors also felt renewed confidence in this year’s event – citing better traffic flow on the show floor and improved organization of the exhibition space and conference. Delegates came to the show to learn about new wind power technologies and solutions and left inspired.”
Innovation Zone enhanced value of CanWEA
During this year’s show, CanWEA launched a new platform called The Innovation Zone. Those who visited the space were able to learn about smart grids, hybrid generation, the latest wind power developments and cutting edge storage technologies. Within the platform, the research community, industry leaders and entrepreneurs connected with attendees to discuss the challenges and solutions to advancing wind energy in North America.
CanWEA expects to expand the Innovation Zone in 2015 as many of the platform’s exhibitors already have signed on to participate in next year’s Innovation Zone.
Educational & motivational conference topics
A distinguished lineup of speakers discussed a wide range of wind energy topics during the CanWEA 2014 Conference program. Topics included the potential for wind energy in Quebec to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in North America, Canada’s wind energy growth outlook, energy integration and storage projects, wind energy as a solution to a variety of electricity system challenges, as well as global opportunities for new wind energy investments and an Operations & Maintenance panel.
CanWEA 2014 delegates heard from Quebec’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Mr. Pierre Arcand, and Minister of Transportation and Minister responsible for the Montréal region, Mr. Robert Poëti, on wind energy in the province. Jeffrey Simpson, National Columnist at the Globe and Mail, shared his perspective on the barriers that stand in the way of Canada doing more to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that are changing our climate.
To learn more about how to exhibit at CanWEA 2015, visit the CanWEA 2015 conference web site at http://canwea2015.ca/.
Canadian Wind Energy Association
www.Canwea.ca
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