The May 23 kickoff of a four-day Windpower 2011 Conference & Exhibition in Anaheim highlighted not wind, but traditional fuel. With much fan- and fossil-fare, Denise Bode, American Wind Energy Association chief executive officer, rode into the Anaheim Convention Center arena on the back of a large custom-built, gasoline-powered motorcycle. Bode’s entrance--befitting of Oprah or Ellen DeGeneres--warmed up the crowd for recitations of the familiar benefits of wind power--pollution-free, renewable, and domestically available. Promos by industry executives and politicians were staged in front of a giant video backup screen depicting turning wind turbines and a waving American flag. Capping the grand opening of the event was a talk show-like interview Bode conducted with CNN founder Ted Turner, a renewable energy advocate. He urged the 20,000 gathered to get out there and “win.” Turner was joined by some of the biggest names in industry --including General Electric, Siemens, Mitsubishi, Hyundai, and Samsung, all of which were selling wind turbines. They were accompanied by the likes of Shell and Mobil, which were there to sell lubricants. Defense contractors like Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman sported their prowess in weather radar systems and supercomputing to make wind energy more efficient. Hitachi offered wind turbine towers and Molycorp boasted rare earth metals used to make magnets in wind turbines.
