Budapest, 11 April 2008. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change formally decided today to produce a Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation, for completion in 2010.

On April 10, the United States Senate overwhelmingly approved an amendment to add the Clean Energy Stimulus Act, which provides for a one-year extension of the Production Tax Credit (PTC) to the Senate's housing bill. The vote was 88 to 8 in favor of this amendment. This win by a large margin shows strong bipartisan support for renewable energy in the Senate.

Secretary General Steve Sawyer presented the Council's annual publication at the European Wind Energy Conference 2008 in Brussels.

The Global Wind 2008 Report is the prime source for data on wind energy developments in 2007, containing figures on installations in over 70 countries around the world, as well as a forecast for the coming five years (2008-2012). In addition, 22 country reports give insights into policy and industry developments in established and emerging wind markets.

US and China markets lead the way

Brussels, 27 March 2008. The Global Wind Energy Council is forecasting that the global wind market will grow by over 155% to reach 240 GW of total installed capacity by 2012. In its annual “Global Wind Energy Report 2007”, GWEC has adjusted its previous forecast to take into account the unexpectedly strong increase in wind energy deployment around the world. The report will be presented at the European Wind Energy Conference (EWEC) in Brussels on 1 April 2008.

Renewables are the best way to build energy security and fight climate change

Washington, 6 March 2008, More than 2,800 delegates from 119 countries, along with nearly 3,000 other participants gathered at the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference (WIREC) from 4-6 March, affirming renewable energy is the fastest growing part of the energy sector globally, and that it has now hit the mainstream. The conference was highlighted by a speech from US President George Bush, who confirmed that the US ‘must get out of oil’.