RENEWABLES USA 1st Q 2010

Welcome to the Renewables Newsletter of the German American Chambers of Commerce (GACCs). The German American Chamber network promotes bilateral trade relations between the United States and Germany. With our Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, New York, and San Francisco offices all running programs to increase dialog and trade in the renewable energy industry, we are pleased to present our newsletter to provide updates on those programs and opportunities for U.S. and German companies. Below are details on upcoming Chamber programs and past initiatives for solar energy, wind power, bioenergy, and energy efficient building technologies.

Featured Event: 2nd German American Energy Conference

Berlin - March 22-23, 2010.

The German American Energy Conference is the premier transatlantic event for German and US renewables and energy efficiency business. The event is organized by the German American Chambers of Commerce and the German Energy Agency GmbH (dena). Meet and connect with industry experts, including leading OEMs, suppliers, engineering firms and other key multipliers. More than 80 speakers will discuss topics on wind, solar and bio energy, as well as energy efficiency in industry. Use this outstanding possibility to network with key decision makers from German companies that are investing in the U.S.

Rainer Brüderle, German Federal Minister of Economics and Technology, will officially open the 2nd German American Energy Conference on March 22, 2010. The conference is generously funded by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology.

Dr. Norbert Röttgen, Federal Minister of Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, will take part in the evening reception on the first day of the conference. U.S. Ambassador to Germany, Philip D. Murphy and State Secretary of the German Federal Foreign Office, Dr. Peter Ammon, will also be in attendance. Solar Millenium AG is our Premium Sponsor.

The conference is supported by the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK) and the Federal Foreign Office with the Transatlantic Climate Bridge, as well as by the Federation of German Industries (BDI) and Germany Trade and Invest. Partners for this event are the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE), the German BioEnergy Association (BBE), the Federal Industrial Association of Germany House, Energy and Environmental Technology (BDH), the German Solar Industry Association (BSW-Solar), the German WindEnergy Association (BWE), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE), the German Association of Consulting Engineers (VBI), the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), and the German Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association (ZVEI). Our media partner for the event is the publisher Energie & Management.

Further information about the conference including the program and registration can be found at www.gae-conference.com. Members of the above-listed associations will receive a 100.00 Euro (approx. 135 USD) discount on the net price.

For more information on the event, please contact Bernadett Steiner at steiner@gaccom.org or (312) 644-2662.

Porsche Presents 918 Spyder High-Performance Concept Sports Car in Geneva

March 2, 2010:

The 918 Spyder prototype combines high-tech racing features and electro-mobility to offer a fascinating range of qualities: An emission level of just 70 grams CO2 per kilometre on fuel consumption of three litres/100 kilometres (equal to 94 mpg imp) truly outstanding even for an ultra-compact city car, on the one hand, combined with the performance of a super sports car and acceleration from a standstill to 100 km/h in just under 3.2 seconds, top speed of 320 km/h (198 mph) plus, and a lap time on the Nordschleife of Nürburgring in less than 7:30 minutes, faster than even the Porsche Carrera GT, on the other. More

Timbers, Solarworld form Landmark Jersey Partnership

February 24, 2010:
The Portland Timbers and German subsidiary SolarWorld, the largest solar manufacturer in America, today announced a new landmark partnership, making SolarWorld the team’s official jersey sponsor for the 2010 season and the first renewable-energy company to become a jersey partner of a professional soccer franchise in the United States. More...

Bosch Powers Volkswagen Jetta TDI Clean Diesel – 2009 Green Car of the Year®

February 23, 2010:

Volkswagen of America’s Jetta 2009 TDI, the country’s first-launched 50-state compliant clean diesel vehicle, has been named Green Car Journal’s 2009 Green Car of the Year®. The award was presented at a press conference today at the Los Angeles Auto Show. More...

Now, an Alternative to Alternative Energy

February 18, 2010:

Big money is starting to flow into biomass, geothermal, and marine wave power projects.

Now, backers of other green projects—largely shut out to date—are seeing some government lucre as well. "Solar and wind got all the attention, but new funding is putting geothermal and other technologies front and center," says Karl Gawell, executive director of the Geothermal Energy Assn. in Washington. So far, at least $500 million in government backing has gone to such projects worldwide. More

At $750M, Foreign Firms Get 33% of U.S. Clean Energy Stimulus

January 13, 2010:
Foreign firms and their subsidiaries will receive about $750 million of the $2.3 billion in tax credits for clean energy manufacturing projects announced recently by the Obama Administration. That represents nearly 33 percent of the total awards, which are intended to spur U.S. manufacturing of clean energy technologies. More...

GREEN NEWCOMERS' SPOTLIGHT: PNE Wind USA

Starting with this issue, we will introduce a new German company that has successfully established itself in the US renewable energy sector.

Fifteen months after opening its US headquarters in Chicago, IL in late 2008, PNE Wind USA Inc is already playing an active role in the growing North American wind market. PNE Wind USA, a 100% subsidiary of PNE Wind AG in Cuxhaven, Germany, maintains its core focus on the development, project management, implementation, and financing of wind-farms, including operations and sales with subsequent service. So far, two joint-ventures have successfully been established in Minnesota and Canada, enabling PNE to grow and continue its active hiring strategy into 2010. According to PNE’s General Manager, Kelly Lloyd, “We hope to establish half a dozen joint-ventures across the US and Canada by 2015.”

“The biggest challenge for companies in the renewable energy sector is the lack of a federal Renewables Portfolio Standard” says, Lloyd, “making it more difficult to foresee market developments and position one’s business accordingly.

Asked for the one piece of advice he would give other German companies entering the US-market, Kelly Lloyd recommends: “Hire experienced wind professionals, especially at the management level and look for people with international experience who can help your company bridge the cultural gap and are familiar with the particularities of the North American market.”

For more information on PNE Wind USA Inc, please visit www.pnewind.com

Interview with Martin Hausner, President/CEO of Schletter Inc.

The GACC South Houston Office interviewed Martin Hausner, President/CEO of Schletter Inc, the U.S. subsidiary of recognized German manufacturer of solar mounting systems, Schletter. Schletter Inc. was established in 2007 and its US headquarters are located in Tucson, AZ.

Mr. Hausner, what are the biggest differences in your industry/market between Germany and the U.S.?

The industry in Germany is older and has had more time to mature. Furthermore, the feed-in-tariffs (FIT), have really had a large impact on the development of the industry as it provided incentives for private users and investors to install systems. States in the USA do not have FITs in place, so, the incentives are not as great. Incentives for developers stem from the portfolio requirements of utilities to have a certain percentage of energy produced coming from renewables.

What were your biggest successes and your positive experiences?

From a workforce economic development standpoint, as our company grows, we are creating more and more jobs here in the United States, and pride ourselves in helping to further develop a clean energy economy that will create more and more. 

Additionally, the solar power industry in the United States has had positive growth over the last few years, and as a result we have experienced tremendous success since establishing our office here in the United States.  Since our launch in 2008, we have sold mounting equipment for over 45- megawatts of power equipment. 

What were your greatest challenges?

We are committed to developing products and services that have technological and market leadership, and consistently strive to focus on meeting and exceeding our customers' and partners’ needs, while maintaining competitive industry pricing coupled with top-tier customer service.

To read the full interview, please click here.

Every year the German Wind Energy Association (BWE) publishes its market survey Wind Energy Market. It is a comprehensive overview of the international wind energy industry. We are proud to announce that we offer the newest edition of this survey now for North America.

Over the past years, this BWE Market Survey has established its position as both an extremely valuable and highly appreciated tool for keeping track of the steadily growing wind energy market.

On more than 200 pages this standard work of reference includes:

• 40 wind turbines
• Trends & innovations, German wind energy market
• The novelty of world wind maps giving an overview of wind potential for instance in Canada, the Middle East, Central America, East Asia, etc
• A guest article by Lord Nicholas Stern about principles for limiting the risks from climate change
• Articles about the political conditions at the Spanish and German wind energy market.
• An overview about the development in the global market.
• Information about the use of small wind turbines.
• The power supply 2020 with the focus on wind energy

This publication can be purchased for $ 75.00 plus shipping and handling. Please click here for more information and to purchase this publication.