11 December 2014: An initiative launched by the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) aims to raise awareness about wind energy’s current and potential contribution to climate change mitigation and economic growth. The campaign, dubbed ‘Solution Wind,’ was announced at the Lima Climate Change Conference and will be carried out over the 12 months leading up to the Paris Climate Change Conference.

According to EWEA, the campaign targets business leaders, policy makers and the general public, and aims to showcase the efficiency with which wind is solving the world’s energy challenges. Solution Wind emphasizes that electricity generated from wind is produced using mainstream technology, the costs of which have decreased significantly, making it the lowest cost form of electricity in many places. The campaign also points out that in some countries wind is already the primary source of electricity.

Solution Wind Campaign Coordinator Ben Backwell explained that the campaign will culminate in a series of events and show the world how important wind energy is, whether it is for small communities looking to electrify or large economies upgrading their power infrastructure. As an initial step, the campaign orchestrated a declaration signed by the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) and many national wind energy associations. The declaration calls on countries to set a price on carbon and announce pledges in early 2015 to move away from fossil fuels and increase renewable energy’s share in their national energy mixes. [EWEA Press Release] [GWEC Press Release] [Solution Wind Declaration]