Wind power photo contest fights NIMBYism

www.earthtechling.com
25 Jan 2012

Shutterbugs--do you revel in the sight of the Tehachapi Pass Wind Farm's many wind turbines spinning in the mountains of Southern California? Or perhaps the sun setting behind the offshore turbines of the United Kingdom's Thanet Wind Farm? If so, you could have a shot at €1,000 in goods from Amazon and a shot at having your work shared around the world in celebration of Global Wind Day on June 15. The European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) has announced a global wind power photography competition, open to one and all, entitled (appropriately enough), "Wind in Mind". Photographers are invited to take that and run with it, giving free rein to their imaginations in showing wind power technology in a new way.

An expert jury will judge the entries, with winners announced shortly after Global Wind Day. The top winner will receive a voucher good for €1,000 at Amazon, while five runners-up will receive a €250 voucher. The overall winning photo will also become part of an online professional photography collection, and be published in renewable energy newspaper 'Recharge' and in the European wind power industry magazine Wind Directions. Additionally, all of the winning pictures will be displayed outdoors in the EU area of Brussels.

Need some inspiration? "I can't think of a better subject for a contemporary photo competition than wind power", said Julian Scola, communication director of the EWEA, organizers of the Global Wind Day alongside the Global Wind Energy Council, in a statement. "wind turbines are an icon: symbols of the fight against climate change, of sustainability, of our modern age. While some people noisily oppose wind turbines, there are many others who love them and find them a graceful addition to our landscape".

The EWEA is a fine organisation to spearhead such a competition, as the European continent, including the UK, plans to pull as much as 15.7% of its total power from wind by 202o. The U.K, is already well on its way towards hitting that mark, as it currently receives 9% of its electricity from renewable sources, much of that from wind, both on land and offshore. But in the US, those who don't consider wind turbines such a graceful addition to the landscape have had a serious impact on the adoption of this renewable energy technology.

Lee Patrick Sullivan of energyNow reports that Not-In-My-Backyard (NIMBY) opposition to new energy infrastructure currently spells the demise of about 45% of renewable energy proposals across the country, according to the US Chamber of Commerce. When it comes to offshore wind turbines in the Great Lakes, for example, opponents have claimed that turbines are "unsightly".

Perhaps your photo could help to change the mindset that puts wind turbines in the same category as, say, smoke stacks--and celebrate them, as Scola put it, as icons of a sustainable future. But hurry--the competition is only open until May 6.