Preben Maegaard will speak at Brazil Wind Energy Conference 2012 on 2 April. His biography is below:

Preben Maegaard

Preben Maegaard, born 1935, is a Danish renewable energy pioneer, author and expert. Since the oil crisis in 1974 he has worked locally, nationally and internationally at the organisational, political and technological level for the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy.

From 1979 to 1984 he was chairman of the Danish Renewable Energy Association, OVE, www.orgve.dk and since 1991 vice-president of EUROSOLAR, the European Renewable Energy Association www.eurosolar.org and in 2006 appointed senior vice-president. Since 1994 he is member of the jury of The European Solar Prize.

When the World Wind Energy Association (WWEA), was founded in 2001 he became its first president www.wwindea.org, a position he held till 2005. In 2001 he became a chairperson of the Committee of the World Council for Renewable Energy, (WCRE) www.wcre.org. Since 1999 he has been a board member of the European Renewable Energies Federation (EREF) www.eref-europe.org, and since 2003, of the European Federation of Ecosites www.ecosites.net.
In May 2006 the World Wind Energy Institute, WWEI, was initiated in Kingston, Canada, involving seven institutes from China, Brazil, Cuba, Canada, Russia, Egypt and Denmark. Preben Maegaard was appointed the first president of the WWEI, see www.wwei.info or www.wwei.nu.

Since 1984 he has been director of the Nordic Folkecenter for Renewable Energy, www.folkecenter.net and www.folkecenter.dk. In this capacity he has been responsible for the technological innovation of windmills, including design, construction and implementation of sizes from 20 to 525 kW, farm biogas digesters from 50 to 1.000 m3 as well as integrated energy systems including hydrogen and biofuels for transport. The technological development and implementation activities took place in cooperation with DS Trade and Industry, www.ds-net.dk.

The Folkecenter has under his leadership provided transfer of renewable energy technology to many countries, and set up numerous pilot projects worldwide. For references see www.folkecenter.net /Tech-transfer. As part of these activities dozens of dedicated trainees from all continents have been involved and obtained valuable hand-on experiences that paved the way for dedicated and leading positions in their professional career.

He has served on several Danish national governmental committees and councils for the development and implementation of renewable energy including; as member of the

• Renewable Energy Steering Group (1981-1991), the National Board of Technology;
• National Renewable Energy Council in Denmark (1991-1996),
• National Committee Biomass for Energy (1985-1989), the
• National Committee for Solar Energy (1995-2002), the
• National Committee for Wave Power (1997-2002)
• National Committee for Hydrogen from Renewable for Transport Purposes (1998-2002)

In 2002 a new liberal government suspended the national renewable energy development and implementation activities and programs in which Preben Maegaard had positions. Danish State support that the Folkecenter had received since 1983 was suspended as well.

In 1996 and the following years he became a member of the board of EUROSUN, an intergroup set up by the European Parliament. In 1999 he was Renewable Energy Adviser to the President of Mali, Alpha Konare, leading to the establishment of the Mali Folkecenter, www.malifolkecenter.org. In 1995 he became Member of Senate, UTER, Technical University, Havana. Since 1992 he has been co-ordinator of the European Solar Prize in Denmark and member of the European Solar Prize Jury.