CARSON CITY, Nevada, October 6 /PRNewswire/ --
A delegation of German government officials, scientists, economists, and private business will meet with a like mix of Nevada government officials, researchers and businesses, Tuesday, Oct. 7 and Wednesday, Oct. 8 in Reno to discuss renewable energy technology.
The 28-person delegation is led by Frank Kupfer, the Saxony State Minister of Environment and Agriculture.
"It's the second visit for a renewable energy German delegation this year," said Al DiStefano, director of global trade and investment for the Nevada Commission on Economic Development (NCED). "They made a preliminary visit in the spring to talk about renewable energy technology in general." For this visit the German delegation "is specifically interested in geothermal technology, and municipal waste management," DiStefano noted.
Tuesday morning while Saxony State officials and their renewable energy staff are talking with Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons and his renewable energy staff, German scientists, economists, business owners and industry representatives will meet with their Nevada counterparts in workshops at the Desert Research Institute.
The workshops feature 10 speakers from DRI and the University of Nevada, Reno, as well as German speakers, covering geothermal, wind, biomass, and municipal waste, including wastewater.
Matchmaking sessions later in the day are intended to allow interaction between scientists, industry and businesses that could lead to potential partnerships.
"Matchmaking sessions can pair up researchers and companies from different countries," DiStefano of NCED explained. Discussions could cover everything from technology transfer or licensing to joint ventures.
Wednesday the delegation will tour Ormat Technologies Inc., a global geothermal company founded in Israel, now based in Reno with operations including a 90 megawatt complex in Washoe County just south of Reno. Ormat operates eight geothermal power plants in the U.S., two in Guatemala, one in Nicaragua and one in Kenya.
Nevada state officials and industry have been unabashed about their intention to become the "renewable capital of the U.S."
Nevada has several renewable advantages. The state is blessed with an abundance of sun (270 clear days a year, with another 62 days with "some sun") to 24 million acres of land identified as economically viable for wind farms. Four more geothermal plants are under construction near Ely, and the state's first wind farm should be operational by 2010.
Already 3.9% of Nevada's annual electricity consumption is fueled by renewable energy sources, last year Nevada was ranked behind only California in solar power development.
In addition to Nevada, the Saxony delegation will travel to neighboring California and Oregon.
The German delegation visit is coordinated by the NCED offices of Protocol and Global Trade and Investment. For more information on NCED visit www.expand2nevada.com.
Web site: http://www.expand2nevada.com
Midwest, West Coast: Carol Infranca, +1-775-849-0112, carol@carolinfranca.com, or East Coast, Europe: Mayer Resnick +1-301-332-4402 , mayerresnick@aol.com
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