7th World Wind Energy Conference
The Ontario Sustainable Energy Association, St. Lawrence College and the World Wind Energy Association, in partnership with the Government of Ontario, invite you to participate in the North American debut of the 7th World Wind Energy Conference 2008 (WWEC 2008) June 24 - 26 in Kingston, Canada

Founded by the World Wind Energy Association (WWEA) in 2002, the world Wind Energy Conference is an internationally recognized annual event that draws delegates from public and private sectors around the world. The 2008 World Wind Energy Conference (WWEC2008) will build on the success of past conferences held in Germany, South Africa, China, Australia, India and Argentina.

Our exciting 2008 programme highlights the role of community power in building a robust renewable energy industry and strategies to strengthen local project control and economic returns within the community.

It also introduces new models for ownership, innovative financing, governance, and capacity building. This is simply a ‘must not miss’ event!

Organizing Partners Overview
World Wind Energy Association
The World Wind Energy Association(WWEA) is an international non-profit organization representing 85 countries globally working for a world energy system fully based on the different renewable energy technologies, with wind energy as one cornerstone. WWEA acts as a communication platform for all wind energy actors worldwide, WWEA advises national governments and international organisations on favourable policies for wind energy implementation and WWEA enhances international technology transfer, a key in the accelerated dissemination of this clean technology. In 2007, WWEA was granted Special Consultative Status at the United Nations. For more information on WWEA visit their site at www.wwindea.org.

Ontario Sustainable Energy Association
The Ontario Sustainable Energy Association(OSEA) is a province wide and member based not for profit umbrella organization. OSEA represents more than 1500 members comprised of individual citizens, cooperatives, farmers, First Nations, businesses, institutions and municipalities. OSEA is dedicated to inspiring and supporting Ontarians in the development of their own community green energy projects at home and in their communities. OSEA’s mission is to facilitate Ontario’s transition to a sustainable energy economy through the development and support of community- based sustainable energy initiatives. Visit www.ontario-sea.org for more information.

St. Lawrence College
St. Lawrence College (SLC) was established in 1967. Today, after almost 40 years in existence, the college continues to evolve to meet the needs of students seeking the skills that will lead to a better quality of life. SLC’s educational philosophy is to work harder to put their students’ interests at the forefront of everything they do. This means delivering relevant, in-demand courses supported by faculty and staff, state-of-the-art facilities and a wide variety of support services. As one of the WWEC2008 hosts, the SLC campus in Kingston is providing the venue for the 7th World Wind Energy Conference. To find out more about St. Lawrence College, visit their website at www.sl.on.ca.

Why Community Power?
According to the Ontario Sustainable Energy Association (OSEA) (link to page on OSEA), Community Power is a class of sustainable energy project that allows local residents as well as greater communities of interest to develop, control and participate financially in renewable energy projects. Local individuals and groups may choose to partner with other community organizations or the private sector.

OSEA’s inspiration for the development of the Community Power sector in Ontario stemmed from the German and Danish experience where the majority of renewable energy projects are owned and controlled by individuals and community members. Although the legal and financial structure of projects varies by location, successful project owners share a similar goal: local economic development. In Germany, for example, farmers interested in owning local energy projects often incorporate as limited liability, for-profit corporations that adhere explicitly to co-operative principles. In Ontario, OSEA’s membership of Community Power groups includes collectives of farmers, First Nations, non-profits, and co-operatives.

There are many economic, environmental and social benefits to Community Power. For example, according to the Rocky Mountain Institute and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, 75 cents of each energy dollar spent leaves the local economy in conventional centralized energy systems, like that of Ontario. However, according to the Iowa Policy Project locally owned renewable energy projects can generate 5 to 10 times the local economic benefits than conventional models do. Further benefits of Community Power included local economic development, rural community development, improved air quality and greenhouse gas reduction, increased resilience and stability of the electricity grid, decreased risk, increased efficiency and increased acceptance of green technologies.