| Quincy, MA. - Where government leads, business will follow, especially where renewable energy is concerned.
That is the message a group of German scientists, diplomats and investment bankers brought to the table yesterday as part of a two-day renewable energy conference arranged by U.S. Rep. William Delahunt.
"To protect ourselves we need to achieve energy independence and the way to do that is through renewable energy," said Delahunt, D-Mass., during a final luncheon for the conference, held at Granite Links Golf Course, itself a tribute to recycling. The golf course and country club, both offering spectacular views of Boston Harbor, are built above old granite quarries filled in with dirt from the Big Dig.
The impetus for the conference arose out of Delahunt's trip to Germany in April when he met with German government and renewable industry officials to talk about renewable energy policy and development of resources.
Delahunt, who is chairman of the Congressional Study Group on Germany and speaks German, believes that nation's experience developing an energy policy and working with private industry can be a blueprint for Massachusetts and the federal government.
He returned from his trip in April convinced that government and private industry must work in partnership to develop sources of renewable energy and a thriving renewable energy industry.
And his message dovetails with that of Gov. Deval Patrick, who repeatedly points to renewable energy as a potential cornerstone of economic development.
Policies needed
The key that will unlock one of the doors to the economic development is for state and federal governments to develop strong zoning and planning policies, said Bernhard Glaeser, a Woods Hole summer resident and senior researcher at the Social Science Research Center in Berlin.
"You must have a cohesive energy policy that not only encourages but also offers incentives to business," Glaeser said. "You must have zoning and planning in place. If your governments develop these, then there will be many businesses that will enter the field. There will be many investors willing to put money into these businesses."
Renewable energy accounts for 6 percent of all energy consumption in Germany, according to statistics released by the German government and available at the Web site www.german-renwable-energy-com. This, Delahunt said yesterday, translates into 70,000 jobs.
Fourteen percent of electricity in Germany is generated through renewable resources — wind energy, solar energy and geothermal energy. German national policy calls for that percentage to be increased to 20 percent by the year 2020.
Earlier yesterday, as part of the conference, members of the New England congressional delegation met in Boston with the Germans to talk about what New England can do to become more energy independent and develop the kind of energy industries that have proved a boon to many European economies.
Trans-Atlantic partnerships
Among the ideas discussed is an agreement, similar to one recently signed by the state of Florida and Germany. The agreement — the Partnership on Global Climate Change Action — calls for partnerships between the German government and Florida to promote reduction of greenhouse emissions, partnerships between research institutions and scientists and an increase in climate-friendly commerce between German businesses and business in Florida.
Massachusetts and New England could benefit from a similar arrangement, said those participating in the conference.
Stefan Schmitz, a lawyer specializing in the renewable energy field, told yesterday's audience that 85 percent of the banks that finance renewable energy projects worldwide are European banks, and the majority are in fact German banks. European banks want to invest in US projects, he said.
State could fall behind
But Massachusetts should be wary of falling behind other states, like Ohio and Pennsylvania, who are developing state energy policies and looking to do business with European investors.
Massachusetts has the work force, the academics and the physical environment that make it a logical place for these renewable energy industries to take root, Delahunt said.
The conference began this weekend but was shortened when Mathias Machnig, German State Secretary of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, became too ill to attend.
About three dozen business people, along with state officials and elected representatives, including state Sen. Robert O'Leary, D-Barnstable, attended the lunch, sponsored by the South Shore Chamber of Commerce. Wendy Northcross, chief executive officer of the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce attended, and came away interested in "what they had to say about business and community putting pressure on our elected officials to get moving on this issue."
Karen Jeffrey can be reached at kjeffrey@capecodonline.com.
Key players
Mario-Ingo Soos, Deputy Head Economic and Commercial Section, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, Washington D.C.
Bernd Rinnert, Deputy Consul General, German Consulate, Boston
Jens Rosebruck, Managing director in London at Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein, an investment bank.
Stefan Schmitz, lawyer specializing in the renewable energy field, particularly wind energy who advises developers and investors on their solar and wind projects - including in Europe, South America and Asia.
Bernhard Glaeser, head of the project group ICZM - Integrated Coastal Zone Management. In 1996 he was program director for a Swedish research program on sustainable coastal zone management and he has been an environmental consultant for the United Nations, Germany and the European Union. He is a summer resident of Woods Hole.
|
