Renewable Energy Study Tour

Overview

2006 marked CDS and InWEnt’s inaugural Renewable Energy Study Tour to Germany. In December, a group of eleven United States state and local policy makers traveled abroad to meet with German governmental, nonprofit, and business representatives to discuss renewable energy’s impact on economic development. The one-week tour was targeted to give participants insights into the policies, politics, research, and technologies that have driven Germany’s alternative energy industry. State and local governments in both the U.S. and Germany have pursued innovative approaches to renewable energy development and the tour’s goal was to create opportunities for transatlantic cooperation. The tour was generously funded by the Heinrich Böll Foundation and by Germany’s Federal Foreign Ministry.

The study tour was organized in response to the growing interest in renewable energy within the U.S. As a world leader in wind energy, solar energy, and biodiesel development, Germany is an interesting case study for U.S. decision makers and businesspeople. Germany’s renewable energy markets have been driven by national renewable energy legislation and have created over 170,000 jobs. With vibrant domestic markets to support them, German firms have emerged as leaders in the emerging global renewable energy market.

Itinerary for the 2006 Renewable Energy Study Tour

Cologne, Germany
December 1: Arrival in Germany

December 2: City tour of Cologne, orientation and Welcome Dinner

Wuppertal, Bonn, Cologne, Germany
December 3: Visit to the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment, and Energy; lunch at the NRW Ministry of the Environment; and an evening at the Cologne Philharmonic

Bonn and Cologne, Germany
December 4: Site visit to Windtestfeld Grevenbroich (test site for inland wind energy converters) and Erftverband (bio-gas power plant) followed by a discussion panel at the NRW Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy

Cologne, Germany
December 5: Site visit to Ecofys GmbH, specialized consultants in renewable energy solutions

Freiburg, Germany
December 6: Guide tour of the Freiburg-Futor solar and environmental institutions, presentation by ICLEI (Local Governments for Sustainability, European Secretariat), followed by an evening at the Freiburg Holiday Market

December 7: Site visit to Fraunhofer Institut für Solare Energiesysteme, discussion with a senior consultant for Intelligent Renewable Energy, followed by a farewell dinner

December 8: Return flight to the U.S.