You’ve likely heard of the Nobel Prize, but have you heard of the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering? It is awarded annually and celebrates the best in engineering.
This year’s award is shared by the two people who are considered the pioneers of wind, Danish Henrik Stiesdal and British Andrew Garrad. They are celebrated for their role in bringing wind power to where it is today.
Their fifty year journey in developing wind power has resulted in this renewable energy source producing more energy for Europe than fossil fuels, which is a first.
The chair of the Queen Elizabeth Prize in his speech honoring the recipients remarked:
“I remember even 15 years ago, people said, “’Wind power, windmills – a ridiculous idea – they won’t work for the long term and, actually, there were plenty of very distinguished engineers who were very negative about wind power. But, it’s been a remarkable journey, all thanks to these two evangelists, who made change happen.”
There are innovations and ideas today that are in their infancy. In 15 or 50 years from now they will prove to be game changers for climate change, just as wind power is changing the game now.
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