RENEWABLES USA 2nd Q. 08

Welcome to the Renewables Newsletter of the German American Chambers of Commerce (GACC). The German American Chamber network promotes bilateral trade relations between the United States and Germany. With offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, New York, and San Francisco 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.

Midwest -- The German American Chamber of Commerce of the Midwest (GACCoM) and its chapters are proud to present their Midwest Renewables & Energy Efficiency Roadshow from June 23-26, 2008. This weeklong event at four different locations will cover different topics from the renewable energy field. Each stop along the roadshow will feature an afternoon conference on locally relevant topics, followed by a networking reception. The primary objective of the conference is to open a dialog for partnership between two of the world’s leading countries in developing and implementing new renewable and energy efficient technologies. 

For further information and contact details read the full article.

Syracuse, NY -- The "4th German American Renewable Energy Conference Biomass: Power, Heat and Fuels" organized by the German American Chamber of Commerce New York (GACC NY) is only a few weeks away. The event will be held on June 24th, 2008, in Syracuse, NY, and "the support and excitement for this event is overwhelming," says Sebastian Göres, consulting manager at the GACC NY. "U.S. firms are genuinely interested in current German biomass technologies and projects," he adds, "and as for the German firms, the most inquires we get at the moment are about partnering with U.S. companies in renewable energies.”

The conference will be sponsored by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology and supported by the German Energy Agency in collaboration with the GACC NY. The overall aim of this event is to initiate a transatlantic dialogue of current technological and policy issues in in regard to the deployment of biomass energy and to foster business relations between U.S. and German companies.

For further information and contact details read the full article.

Houston, TX -- Germany is one of the world leaders in the use and development of renewable energy and environmentally sound technologies. To stimulate the exchange of ideas and expertise between American and German interests, and to establish contact with like-minded individuals and organizations, the Texas Office of the German American Chamber of Commerce of the Southern U.S. (GACC South) is organizing an event  for professionals who are interested in the green industry on June 24, 2008.

For further information and contact details read the full article.

San Francisco, CA -- This July, the highly successful German solar trade show Intersolar will be held in conjunction with Semicon West at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. In order to provide a platform to discuss solar developments between Germany and California, the German American Chamber of Commerce Inc., California Branch, will organize a one-day Solar Symposium. It will take place in San Francisco on July 14, one day before the official beginning of the Intersolar/Semicon West trade show.

Lieutenant Governor of California, John Garamendi, will address attendees as keynote speaker together with other U.S. and German industry experts and business representatives.The morning session "Strategies to Develop International Solar Markets - Examples of Germany and California" will focus on past and present accomplishments, whereas the afternoon session "International Learnings - What are the Most Promising Incentives to Develop the US Solar Market?" will provide insights into the future of the solar industry.

For further information and contact details read the full article.

Midwest -- A select group of leading experts from Germany and the U.S. will present a week of seminars at leading Midwest universities from September 15-18, 2008. In order to inspire the next generation of architects, construction engineers and facilities managers, the German American Chamber of Commerce of the Midwest (GACCoM) will present developments of innovative German green building technologies. The primary focus is on “intelligent buildings” including automation, control systems and innovations in climate engineering, particularly those that feature renewable energy sources like solar power, solar heating and geothermal.

For further information and contact details read the full article.

Berlin, Germany -- The German American Chambers of Commerce and the Canadian German Chamber of Commerce will organize a one-day market entry event „Solar Energy Boom North America“ together with the German and the American Solar Association on September 16, 2008. Canadian and American experts will speak about the current boom in the solar industry in North America and the therewith adherent chances for the German solar energy industry. The event will cover present developments in the North American market for photovoltaics as well as solar heat.

For further information and contact details read the full article.

Atlanta, GA -- The recent tornadoes in Atlanta impacted a number of major event facilities, most notably the Georgia World Congress Center, where the GreenBusiness Works EXPO was scheduled for June 3-6, 2008. The Georgia World Congress Center is doing a great job of making necessary repairs and is open for business. Unfortunately, though, with repair work ongoing, the organizer GreenBusiness Works - who is in alliance with the German American Chamber of Commerce of the Southern U.S. (GACC South) - does not feel their EXPO guests would have the experience they originally envisioned during their scheduled dates. As a result, they have elected to reschedule the EXPO to October 7-8, 2008.

For further information about this event visit this website.

Germany -- The German American Chamber of Commerce of the Midwest (GACCoM), together with the German Ministry of Economics and Technology and the German Office for Foreign Trade (bfai), is organizing a bioenergy delegation to Germany from October 7-9, 2008. Only ten U.S. companies will have the opportunity to take part in this delegation and participate in individually-tailored meetings, while also attending the Renexpo trade show. Participation is open to U.S. companies involved in engineering or construction of bioenergy systems, bioenergy development or management, and production or sales of bioenergy-related systems or components. If you wish to participate, please register by July 31, 2008.

For further information and contact details read the full article.

Chicago, IL -- The German American Chamber of Commerce of the Midwest (GACCoM) continues its series of green architecture events by bringing a delegation of leading green building technology suppliers to Chicago. As part of the Export Initiative for Energy Efficiency from the German Ministry of Economics and Technology, we will select a delegation of innovative German companies that supply energy-saving technologies and expertise for commercial and residential buildings. 

The purpose of the event, that will be held from November 10-14, is to generate discussion and cooperation between leading German green building suppliers and their counterparts in the U.S., introducing these technologies to leading architects, construction firms, and suppliers to the industry. Incorporated in the week will be a full-day seminar with leading US and German experts, one-on-one partnering meetings with companies in the delegation, a high-level roundtable discussion, and an evening networking reception.

For further information and contact details read the full article.

Houston, TX -- Houston's "Windpower 2008 Conference & Exhibition" was hosted by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) from June 1-4 and featured 770 exhibitors and over 10,000 attendees. More than twenty German companies participated in the WindPower 2008, among them tool and turbine manufacturers as well as developers.

On the second day of the conference, the Texas office of the German American Chamber of Commerce of the Southern U.S. (GACC South) held a reception at the Windexpo 2008. The Managing Director of the GACC South, Texas Office, Jan Christoph Wiedemann and the Head of the German American Dialogue on Renewable Energy Network (GADORE), Annette Nuesslein, decided to cooperate even more in the future to strengthen the ties between the German and American renewable energy market.

For further information about this event visit this website.

San Francisco, CA -- This year's “Germany California Solar Day” on May 27 in San Francisco, organized by the German American Chamber of Commerce Inc., California Branch, was a great success on all sides. The Chamber was delighted to witness a dynamic exchange of the latest knowledge, thoughts and trends between U.S. and German solar experts and executives. The audience praised the great line up of speakers which covered market dynamics from both sides of the Atlantic. 

"Germany and California represent two of the most important markets for solar energy and this event provides an invaluable forum for collaboration and idea exchange between the two," said Matt Cheney, CEO of San Francisco based MMA Renewable Ventures, who was one of the speakers. Furthermore, 35 one-on-one meetings were set up to bring German and American companies together. A total of 264 attendees participated in the event and enjoyed themselves during the following networking reception.

For further information and contact details read the full article.

Houston, TX -- The first German American Energy Efficiency Conference in Houston on April 1 was organized by the Texas Office of the German American Chamber of Commerce of the Southern U.S. (GACC South). It was held at the Hilton Houston Post Oak Hotel and leading experts from Germany and the U.S. informed attendees about current trends in energy efficiency in buildings. Dr. Andreas Holm, Director of the Department for Room Climate of the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics (IBP), as well as Dipl.-Ing. Arch. Barbara Gehrung from the Technical University of Darmstadt, Faculty for Architecture and winner of the Solar Decathlon 2007, presented current topics amongst others. 

Forum attendees gained valuable knowledge about energy efficiency, “Made in Germany,” and Germany’s success in its industry growth. German and U.S. companies also had the chance to discuss the potential of energy efficiency projects around the U.S. and used this conference as a great networking opportunity.

For further information and contact details read the full article.