Senate President Pro Tempore Kevin de León, the California Senate’s most powerful member and legislative champion of the state’s hallmark 50 percent renewable energy standard law passed in 2015, will provide a keynote address at North America’s largest wind power trade show May 23 in Anaheim.
WINDPOWER, American wind power’s largest annual gathering, is where industry leaders from across the U.S. and around the world come together to demonstrate new technology, new approaches, and make deals to shape the coming year.
“We’re excited to have Senate Pro Tem de León join us in Anaheim,” said Tom Kiernan, CEO of AWEA. “California is an early pioneer of wind-farm development, and that’s paid off for the state with 3,000 jobs and over $12 billion in investment. Senate Pro Tem de León has demonstrated real leadership, playing a top role in raising the state’s clean renewable energy target to 50 percent by 2030.”
De León will speak at 10 a.m. Tuesday, directly preceding AWEA’s Industry Leaders Panel – the marquee General Session panel at WINDPOWER. The discussion will feature Tristan Grimbert, president and CEO of EDF Renewable Energy and incoming board chairman of AWEA; Pete McCabe, vice president of Onshore Wind for GE Renewable Energy; Karen Lane, CFO of Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, Onshore Americas; and Greg Wolf, CEO of Leeward Renewable Energy. This year’s panel will cover implementation of wind energy into the 2020s, opportunities in tax reform, emerging political issues, and more.
In 2017, given the importance of California in creating new investment opportunities for renewable energy, AWEA launched its California Caucus, based in Sacramento and led by Danielle Osborn Mills.
“As the wind industry’s premier annual event returns to California, we are thrilled to feature Senator de León’s leadership, which demonstrates the importance of state actions in growing a clean energy economy,” Mills said. “Wind energy plays a key role in a clean, balanced, and affordable electricity portfolio for California.”
Wind energy is one of the best ways for California to reach its clean-energy goals, while helping to keep energy costs low for consumers. De León authored the California Renewable Portfolio Standard, which will grow renewable energy to supply 50 percent of the state’s electricity by 2030. And he is exploring legislation that would expand California’s energy leadership, requiring 100 percent of the state’s electricity from sources such as wind and solar by 2045.
Source: AWEA
For more information, go to www.awea.org
