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Impressive Turnout at Successful Wind Energy Conference
Smart partnerships and well planned wind projects was the theme of the day as people poured through the doors of the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre, eager to take their seats for the 2012 Harvest The Wind Conference and Tradeshow. The Strait-Highlands Regional Development Agency (S-HRDA) along with its supporting partners Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation (ECBC) and The Province of Nova Scotia, joined arms to host a highly successful event aimed at increasing knowledge of the opportunities and challenges in growing the local wind energy sector. Over 140 registrants packed the foyer and the floors of the Bearhead room at the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre on Friday, April 27th to take part in the one-day wind energy event.
Harvest the Wind 2012 aimed to inspire, educate, and increase wind energy capacity for Nova Scotia land owners interested in taking part in the rapidly growing wind energy sector, and it did just that by mapping out important information people need to know to participate in the wind energy business and invest in community wind energy projects. Harvest the Wind offered something for everyone including experienced sector professionals, to landowners with limited knowledge in the field who are interested in producing their own wind energy or leasing their property to do so. The conference was highly successful and provided key information to those interested in learning more about wind energy opportunities for their homes, businesses and communities.
2012 marks the third Harvest the Wind Conference, and the 2nd consecutive year that that the event has been held in Port Hawkesbury. Conference numbers, up significantly from last years (100 to 142) clearly demonstrated Nova Scotians’ interests to learn about wind energy and its opportunities in our province. Along with presentations from sector experts, the mini renewable energy trade show segment was a huge hit that offered great networking and project development opportunities for conference attendees. “The conference is about education and networking. We have industry experts giving presentations and we have a trade show where people can meet distributors and sellers from the area, and even the planners who are doing by-laws around wind energy development. The education is a big piece, but then paired with the networking component it’ll hopefully lead into projects and economic development, and that’s where the S-HRDA comes in to assist”, notes John Beaton, Energy and Sustainability Consultant to the S-HRDA.
The mini trade show showcased a total of nine renewable energy players, a significant growth from last year’s conference. The increase is due to the heightened interest and popularity following last year’s event, paired with the opening of this year’s trade show to all renewable energy sectors (solar, wind, geothermal, etc.). “We’re extremely pleased with the turnout of this year’s conference, especially the trade show booths. Although the conference presentations focused on wind energy, we felt it was essential to open the trade show to all types of renewable energy players because it offers people a one-stop shop to learn about all the different types of systems. Our efforts under Strait-Highlands Green Action at the S-HRDA are focused at reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the area, so we took this opportunity to help promote our local renewable energy distributors and installers”, says Katelyn MacDonald, Marketing Assistant at the S-HRDA.
Harvest the Wind 2012 event program included presentations from:
- Evan MacDonald, Department of Energy- NS Renewable Energy Targets and Programs
- Bruce Thompson, Seaforth Energy Inc.- Harvest the Wind with an AOC 15/50
- Wayne Marryatt, McInnes Cooper Law Firm- What you should know about Wind Energy Land Leases
- Sebastian Manchester, Viente Analysis- Wind Resource Assessment in NS
- Kirk Schmidt, Al-Pro Wind Energy Consulting Inc.- Planning for Wind Energy and Risk Mitigation
- Adam Wile, Nova Scotia Agricultural College- Measuring Wind Speed Using SoDAR and Engaging Framers in the ComFIT Program
- John Charlton, Nova Scotia Power Inc.- Interconnection with the Electrical Grid
- David Alderson, Cape Breton University Centre for Sustainability in Energy and the Environment- CSEE Goals, Vision & Wind Energy Initiatives
- Luciano Lisi, Cape Breton Explorations Ltd.- Transmission Constraints and How to Unlock Cape Breton’s Potential
- Heather Davis, SuGen Research Inc.- Micro COMFIT: Research to Economic Development in Grand Etang
- Gordon MacDonald, Guysborough County Regional Development Authority- Wind Energy Municipal Participation Considerations
- Krystal Therien, Nova Scotia Department of Energy- NS Community Feed-in Tariff Program
- Wayne Groszko, Ecology Action Centre- Opportunities in Small Wind Projects
“We hope people take away enhanced knowledge of wind energy, learn what’s involved in executing a project, as well as an enthusiasm for undertaking wind energy projects or any other renewable energy system”, says Beaton. The feedback from the event has been highly positive and has created a buzz for some potential projects in the area. The S-HRDA plans to host a similar event next year and continue the “annual” title that Harvest the Wind holds. “The growth that the conference has experienced within the last two years attests to the fact that people want to learn about wind energy and renewable energy in general because they’ve come to accept the reality that energy prices will continue to increase and there’s opportunities for them to take advantage of.”
Check out the HTW 2012 slideshow & video below to see how Nova Scotians are participating in one of the fastest growing sectors in North America!
For more information, please contact:
John Beaton
Strait- Highlands Regional Development Agency
Phone: 902.625.2728
Email: john.beaton@strait-highlands.ns.ca
Katelyn MacDonald
Strait- Highlands Regional Development Agency
Phone: 902.625.2319
Email: katelyn.macdonald@strait-highlands.ns.ca
EVENT MANAGED BY... STUDIO SEVEN DEVELOPMENT GROUP
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