AWEA chair: open trade 'is vital to keep wind LCOE down'

To continue to reap the benefits of cost reduction through a global supply chain, the wind industry must push for open trade policies, says Steve Lockard, chairman of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA).

The wind sector will continue to bring down the levelised cost of energy (LCOE) through technological innovations such as larger turbine rotors, taller towers, and the use of more advanced materials or modular blades that ease transport, he told the WindEurope conference in Bilbao, Spain, on Tuesday.