By the year 2020, Germany will be the number one country worldwide in renewable energies. The country already possesses the world's largest market in photovoltaic (PV), wind energy, and biodiesel. This is the result of groundbreaking innovations, smart policy, and favorable investment conditions. Displays of German innovations in renewable energies and other industries will be part of two events open to journalists on October 3rd, the German National Holiday, in Washington, D.C. The day celebrates the reunification of Germany on October 3rd, 1990.
The first event is a Business Luncheon at the Rooftop Terrace of the Hey Adams Hotel at 12:00pm. Speakers include political and business leaders, including Wolfgang Tiefensee, Federal Minister for Transport, Building, and Urban Affairs, and Commissioner for Eastern Germany, Heinz Haller, Executive Vice President for Dow Chemicals, Andreas Dressler, Director of KPMG, and Michael J. Ahearn, CEO of First Solar, Inc. First Solar is an American solar cell company that recently opened a manufacturing facility in eastern Germany.
The second event is an official reception at the German Embassy in Washington, D.C. "Eastern Germany. Good Climate for Business. Good Business for the Climate," begins at 5:30pm and will be a presentation of eastern Germany as a location for technological breakthroughs and renewable energy discoveries. Industry participants will reinforce Germany's position as an economic leader in the renewable energies, automotive, and aerospace industries.
Wolfgang Tiefensee and Claus Scharioth, the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the United States, will guide journalists through the presentations at the beginning of the evening. A buffet with German food and wine will follow.
Top renewable energy companies present in eastern Germany (the former East Germany) will have representatives on hand. Participating American companies include First Solar and Cargill, whose German subsidiary is expanding its bioethanol production site. Other firms such as AMD, Dell, GM/Opel, and Ebay are also major investors in eastern Germany.
"Due to Germany's pioneering clean energy policy, the renewable energies sector has become one of the most important industries in Germany today and a pacesetter for the renewable industry worldwide," notes Nikolai Dobrott, Director of Renewable Energies and Resources at Invest in Germany, the official investment promotion agency for Germany. Invest in Germany advised First Solar and has also advised many other American companies on their investments in Germany.
