UWIG to Form New User Group Focused on Operation and Maintenance of Wind Turbines

Reston, Va. - October 26, 2005 - The Utility Wind Interest Group (UWIG) announced that it will form a new user group focusing on the operation and maintenance of wind turbines.

The organizational meeting of the Wind Turbine Operation and Maintenance User Group will be held in conjunction with the UWIG Fall Technical Workshop in Sacramento, Calif. The user group will meet at the Hyatt Regency Sacramento at 1 pm PT, Monday, November 7, 2005.

According to Charlie Smith, executive director of UWIG, the formation of the new wind turbine user group came about after extensive input from UWIG members at the UWIG annual meeting: "Members at the spring meeting overwhelmingly said they would like to see a user group of this scope. We think offering this user group will increase the value proposition of UWIG to our current as well as future members."

The Wind Turbine User Group will provide a forum for participants to exchange information on the most relevant issues to wind turbine owner-operators. It will address operating, maintenance and management issues specific to wind turbines and other components produced by the major manufacturers. It will also identify R&D and/or application studies to address specific issues that could be conducted by other organizations in collaboration with UWIG.

Click here to learn more about the proposed work scope for this user group.

The Utility Wind Interest Group (UWIG) was established in 1989 to provide a forum for the critical analysis of wind technology for utility applications and to serve as a source of credible information on the status of wind technology and deployment. The group's mission is to accelerate the appropriate integration of wind power for utility applications through the coordinated efforts and actions of its members, in collaboration with The U.S. Department of Energy, its National Renewable Energy Laboratory and utility research organizations. The UWIG currently has 69 members spanning the United States, Canada, and Europe, including investor-owned, public power, and rural electric cooperative utilities; transmission system operators; and associate member corporate, government, and academic organizations.