Signed by representatives of the American, Canadian, European and Japanese Wind Energy Associations under the umbrella of the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), the letter warns that the days of cheap and abundantly available fuel are over and that heavy investments in clean, safe, renewable energy technologies are needed to ensure supply security, combat climate change and satisfy increasing energy demand in the long term.

“The world is on the verge of an energy crisis. It is the responsibility of the leaders of the industrialised nations to turn a corner to move away from the world’s unsustainable reliance on finite, polluting and unsafe energy sources. Now is the time to make a clear commitment to a truly secure and sustainable energy future,” reads the letter.

“Fossil fuel “addiction” cannot be cured by an ever growing investment in oil and gas production, and nuclear technology brings with it social and environmental issues that cannot be ignored.”

The global wind energy industry therefore urges international leaders to use the G8 process to achieve real and lasting energy security by reversing the emphasis on fossil fuels and nuclear energy and the relegation of renewable energy.

The letter emphasises that wind technology is not a dream for the future – it is real, it is mature and it can be deployed on a large scale. Thanks to twenty years of technological progress, wind turbines have come a long way and a wind farm today acts much more like a conventional power station. A single modern turbine annually produces 180 times more electricity and at less than half the cost than its equivalent twenty years ago. Moreover, wind power generation is increasingly competitive with conventional fossil fuel sources and already today is on a par with new coal or gas fired power stations.

“Wind energy can and must play a central role in responding to the key energy challenges of our time: security of supply, climate change, increasing energy demand and volatile fossil fuel prices,” concludes the letter.