This Special Issue on Wind Energy contains articles that evolved from papers presented at the ASME Wind Energy Symposium, held January 2005. The range of topics covered includes: resource assessment, aerodynamics, and structures.
In 2004, 8 GW of wind power was installed, bringing the total capacity worldwide to 50 GW. This capacity is expected to double over the next five years, with two-thirds of it being planned for Europe. The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), an international forum uniting the wind industry and its representative associations, was established earlier this year to promote the growth of wind energy through policy, information, and education. A five-year EU-funded project on long-term wind research and technology development is about to start, covering aerodynamics and aeroelasticity, rotor structure and materials, control systems and remote sensing, wakes and electrical integration.
JSEE has greatly expanded the coverage of wind energy research. This development has been recognized by the new JSEE subtitle “Including Wind Energy and Building Energy Conservation”. Special thanks are due to Dr. Dale Berg for his outstanding service to the Journal as Associate Editor (AE) for Wind Energy. He will be retiring as AE at the end of 2005 after serving the maximum allowable six-year term. His successor will work closely with Dr. Chaviaropoulos to continue to develop the reputation of JSEE as a highly respected wind energy research publication.