Flights are finally taking off and landing across Europe, bringing more delegates to the European Wind Energy Conference and Exhibition (EWEC) in Warsaw. The stands in the exhibition hall may be quieter than previous EWEC’s, but many conference sessions are underway.

Social acceptance of wind farms was a hot topic yesterday with much interest in ‘Bürger-Windparks’ in the Schleswig-Holstein region of Germany. The special aspect of these parks is that they are wholly owned by local citizens and communities, a strategy which can strongly increase social acceptance.

On the same subject, Gundula Hübner said today that locals are more likely to feel positive about wind farms if they are involved in the planning process and they consider it to be “fair”.

In general, social acceptance of turbines in Germany is “high’, Hübner added.

EWEA’s ‘breath of fresh air’ campaign got off to a flying start yesterday with reports that delegates are keenly adopting wind turbines across Europe, showing their support for wind energy.

Last night all conference and exibition participants were treated to wine and a bite to eat at the Palace of Culture and Science, PKiN, in the centre of Warsaw. As people enjoyed a drink in an impressive building that was a ‘gift’ from Joseph Stalin to the city during the era of Soviet domination after the Second World War, a ‘flash mob’ of dancers suddenly burst into the centre hall and danced to the tune of ‘Fresh’ by Kool and The Gang and other songs.