Aloys Wobben
{{Short description|German billionaire businessman (1952–2021)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| image = Wobben.jpg
| name = Aloys Wobben
| caption = Wobben in 2008
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1952|1|22|df=y}}
| birth_place = Rastdorf, West Germany
| death_date = {{death date and age|2021|7|31|1952|1|22|df=y}}
| death_place =
| education = University of Oldenburg
| occupation = Businessman
| title = Founder and owner of Enercon
| spouse =
| children = 1
| website =
}}
Aloys Wobben (22 January 1952 – 31 July 2021)[https://traueranzeigen.nwzonline.de/traueranzeige/aloys-wobben-1952 Aloys Wobben] {{in lang|de}} was a German billionaire businessman, engineer, and the founder and owner of the wind turbine company Enercon. He was one of the 50 richest people in Germany, with a fortune estimated at €4.78 billion, as of November 2020.{{Cite web|date=31 December 2018|title=Die reichsten Deutschen 2021 {{!}} Die aktuelle Liste der Milliardäre|url=https://www.vermoegenmagazin.de/die-reichsten-deutschen/|access-date=5 January 2021|website=VermögenMagazin|language=de-DE}} As of August 2021, Forbes estimated his net worth to be US$7.1 billion.
Early life
Aloys Wobben was born in West Germany. He studied electrical engineering and earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Oldenburg.{{cite web|title=Forbes profile: Aloys Wobben |url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/aloys-wobben/ |website=Forbes |accessdate=18 January 2021}}
Career
In 1984 he founded the wind turbine manufacturer Enercon in Aurich. He began developing and producing wind turbines with three employees. In the following years, Enercon developed into one of the most successful companies in the German wind energy industry.{{Cite web|title=Enercon {{!}} Invest in Niedersachsen|url=https://www.invest-in-niedersachsen.com/en/reasons-for-niedersachsen/success-stories/Enercon|access-date=5 January 2021|website=invest-in-niedersachsen.com|language=en}} In 1993, Wobben switched production to the gearless wind turbine with full converter that he had developed. The Enercon E-40 turbine met expectations and ensured the company's worldwide success.{{Cite web|title=History|url=https://www.enercon.de/en/company/history/|access-date=5 January 2021|website=enercon.de}}
For health reasons, Wobben withdrew from the operational business in 2012 and transferred his company shares to the Aloys-Wobben Foundation with effect from 1 October 2012. The foundation thus became the sole shareholder of the Enercon Group.{{Cite web|title=Enercon ownership transfers to foundation {{!}} REVE News of the wind sector in Spain and in the world|url=https://www.evwind.es/2012/10/04/enercon-ownership-transfers-to-foundation/24282|access-date=5 January 2021|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|title=Ill wind: Turbine Giant is Reaping the Storm|url=https://www.handelsblatt.com/english/companies/ill-wind-turbine-giant-is-reaping-the-storm/23542018.html|access-date=5 January 2021|website=Handelsblatt}}{{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
According to Forbes, Wobben had a net worth of $7.1 billion as of August 2021.
Personal life
Wobben was married, with one child and lived in Aurich.
He died in August 2021, after a long illness.{{Cite web|title=Enercon founder Aloys Wobben dies after a serious illness|date = 3 August 2021|url=https://www.zeit.de/news/2021-08/03/enercon-gruender-aloys-wobben-stirbt-nach-schwerer-krankheit?|access-date = 3 August 2021}}
Recognition
- Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
- 2000 German Environmental Prize of the German Federal Environmental Foundation{{Cite web|title=DBU – Ecological Commitment honoured: German Environmental Award goes to Franz Daschner and Aloys Wobben {{!}} Englisch|url=https://www.dbu.de/123artikel24908_2897.html|access-date=6 January 2021|website=dbu.de|language=de}}
- 2004 European Solar Prize from Eurosolar in the category "Special Prize for Special Personal Commitment"{{Cite web|title=Eurosolar und KfW Förderbank verleihen Europäische Solarpreise|url=https://www.strom-magazin.de/strommarkt/eurosolar-und-kfw-foerderbank-verleihen-europaeische-solarpreise_54599.html|access-date=6 January 2021|website=strom-magazin.de}}
- 2006 Honorary doctorate from the University of Kassel{{citation needed|date= January 2021}}
- 2006 Indigenat, a kind of "honorary citizenship", from the Ostfriesische Landschaft for services to the East Frisian economy{{citation needed|date= January 2021}}
- 2008 Rudolf Diesel Medal in Gold from the German Institute for Invention (DIE){{Cite news|title=Bloomberg Billionaires Index|language=en|work=Bloomberg.com|url=https://www.bloomberg.com//billionaires/|access-date=6 January 2021}}
- 2009 Lower Saxony State Prize{{Cite web|last=Nordwest-Zeitung|title=AUSZEICHNUNG: Land ehrt Wind-Pionier Wobben|url=https://www.nwzonline.de/wirtschaft/land-ehrt-wind-pionier-wobben_a_1,0,3205614113.html|access-date=6 January 2021|website=nwzonline.de|language=de}}
References
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Category:German company founders
Category:20th-century German businesspeople
Category:21st-century German businesspeople
Category:Recipients of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany