PIERRE -- A wind energy expert has been lined up to be the keynote speaker at the South Dakota Wind Energy Association's inaugural membership meeting on Tuesday.

Larry Flowers is the principal project leader for the National Wind Technology Center, which operates under the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Flowers plans to discuss the state of wind energy in South Dakota and across the country and propose ideas for South Dakota to reach its wind energy potential.

In a release, Flowers says South Dakota has a huge role to play on a national scale when it comes to wind energy production.

The meeting will be held in Pierre.