Dr. Preben Maegaard, founder and long-term director of the Nordic Folkecenter for Renewable Energy, passed away yesterday. Preben was involved in the founding of WWEA 20 years ago and became its founding president, serving from 2001 to 2005. In 2008, he received, together with his wife Jane Kruse, the World Wind Energy Award for his outstanding contributions to the dissemination of wind power and renewable energy.As one of the first pioneers of renewable energy, Preben started working for a renewables energy future already in the 1970s, and consequently he founded the Nordic Folkecenter for Renewable Energy which became an international center for renewable energy experts. Through the Folkecenter’s work a new generation of renewable energy pioneers from all over the world got inspired and encouraged and contributed to starting the renewable energy revolution in their countries.
Preben’s focus was not only on demonstrating how renewable energy can work in practice, but he had also strong impact on introducing renewable energy policies in his home country Denmark, in European countries and worldwide.
Preben’s international network formed a basis for WWEA and his vision will remain part of WWEA’s mission: In particular his focus on decentralised and community energy approaches deserves now more attention than ever before and will be part of his remaining legacy.
