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During the past edition of the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi, Vestas was awarded the first place in the prestigious Zayed Future Energy Prize for its outstanding innovation, leadership and achievement in renewable energy.
Ditlev Engel, Vestas President and CEO, donated half of the US$1.5 million to WindMade™, an initiative launched globally to accelerate the adoption of renewable energy, and specifically wind power, by increasing the transparency of corporate investments in clean energy. Vestas also donated the other half of the prize to the fourth, fifth and sixth placed finalists on equal parts, with each receiving $250,000 to help fund their work in renewable energy.
The donation of Zayed Future Energy Prize to the WindMade™ initiative has greatly contributed to its global expansion and to the certification process of the WindMade™ trademark, the first consumer label endorsed by the United Nations identifying corporations and products made with wind energy.
With Vestas spearheading the WindMade™ initiative announced publicly at the World Future Energy Summit last year, the founding group also included UN Global Compact, WWF, Global Wind Energy Council, Bloomberg, Lego and PWC. Established as an independent non-governmental organization, WindMade™ strives to raise the demand for clean energy by educating citizens on the implications of using different energy sources, by improving corporations’ ability to communicate their wind energy investments to their stakeholders and by empowering consumers to favour corporations who make a real contribution to delivering new wind energy.
Clearly supported by the Zayed Future Energy Prize, WindMade™ has successfully reached several important landmarks, since its launch last year. On the global wind day last year, 15 June 2011, the first technical standard for the use of the trademark was launched for public consultation, and on 13 October 2011 the final standard was officially launched. It specifies the criteria for the use of the WindMade™ label, requiring participating companies to source a minimum of 25 per cent of their electricity consumption from wind power.
Shortly after the release of the criteria for certification, leading global companies signed up for the WindMade™ label. On 18 November 2011, at an event in New York hosted by WindMade™ and the UN Global Compact fifteen major corporations, including brands, such as Deutsche Bank, Motorola Mobility, Lego and Bloomberg, pledged to procure at least 25 percent of their operations’ overall power consumption from wind energy.
“These companies are at the forefront of the global sustainability movement,” says Henrik Kuffner, WindMade’s CEO. “We are delighted to have them on board the unique WindMade™ initiative, and are confident that many others will follow suit in the coming weeks and months.”
Morten Albæk, SVP Global Marketing and Customer Insight at Vestas Wind Systems, said: “Consumers are ready to act. 67 percent of 31,000 consumers globally have told us they would
favour WindMade™ products, even at a premium.”
He concludes: “The Zayed Future Energy Prize has played a very important role in the expansion of WindMade™ and the progress made so far in increasing transparency of corporate investments in clean energy as well as empowering people to select brands that choose wind.”
The technical standard for products manufactured by clean energy to be WindMade™ certified is currently under development. Several companies are eagerly awaiting the possibility of placing the WindMade™ logo on their products, and some of them are working closely with the WindMade™ organization giving inputs to the development of the product technical standard. It is expected to be officially launched during the first half of 2012.
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