It is with great regret that the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) reports the loss of Steve Sawyer, who was a founder of the organisation and Secretary General for over 10 years. Steve passed away on 31 July after a short but intense struggle with cancer.Steve came into the wind industry after a courageous and distinguished career as a campaigner with Greenpeace International. He faced personal danger on numerous occasions and steered the organisation to a greater engagement with the nascent renewable energy industry. He joined GWEC as its first General Secretary in 2007. For over 10 years, Steve tirelessly represented the wind industry and worked to convince governments to adopt wind as the solution to grow energy demand and carbon emissions. During Steve’s tenure at the head of GWEC, global wind installations grew from 74GW to 539GW and became one of the world’s most important energy sources. He contributed significantly to the development of the wind industry in places such as India, China, Brazil and South Africa. He was a prominent speaker in public and private forums, and wrote innumerable articles, blogs and position papers. More recently, Steve had decided to scale down his constant travelling, becoming a Senior Policy Advisor to the organisation.
