(EnergyAsia, February 1, Friday) — Christoph Vitzthum, a senior executive at Finland’s Wartsila, has been appointed chairman of the board of directors of the World Alliance for Decentralized Energy (WADE) from January 1, 2008.

WADE is an international non-profit research and promotion organization representing global companies as well as industry and environmental groups. WADE’s direct and indirect membership includes well over 200 organisations.

In an effort to raise the profile of cogeneration as a climate change mitigation strategy in the 1997 UNFCCC climate change negotiations, the International Cogeneration Alliance was founded. In 2002, the group changed its name to WADE and broadened its scope to include all manner of decentralised energy (DE) technologies.

Mr Vitzthum, a group vice president and head of Wärtsilä Power Plants, said: “Decentralised power production is becoming increasingly important in the global power mix, and it is a vital complement to centralised power generation. Through increasing the market share of decentralised energy production we can, among others, improve total electrical efficiency and provide more secure power supply for local consumers. DE technologies enable us to create a more cost-effective and a more sustainable electricity system that delivers substantial economic and environmental benefits, such as reduced energy costs and decreased emissions.

“WADE is a well-recognised global organization that works to accelerate the worldwide deployment of decentralised energy systems. Decentralised energy systems are often constrained by outdated energy policies and regulations. One of WADE’s goals is to advocate the reform of these policies.”

Research by WADE estimates that in 2005 DE accounted for about 10% of installed power production capacity compared to 7% in 2001. Almost 25% of electricity generated by new capacity added in 2005 was generated by DE installations.

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