Dr Awerbuch died, with his partner and young son, when the light aircraft he was piloting crashed in the French Alps.

Over the past five years, EWEA worked very closely with Shimon on energy economics. EWEA will miss his kindness, strong personality and commitment to his work.

On hearing about the tragic accident, Christian Kjaer, EWEA CEO made the following comment: ”In the wind industry, we are already starting to see Shimon's important and highly relevant work having an effect in the market place and among policy makers. Utilities in many countries are increasingly using zero fuel cost technologies, such as wind energy, as a hedge against high and volatile fuel prices. Many governments and institutions - including the European Commission - have also accepted Shimon's important research, although they still need to apply them more vigorously. It saddens me that Shimon will not be around to experience the full impact of his brilliant work.”