Welcome to EITA-Renewable Energy Workshop 2009

Recent developments have cast a cloud over the renewable energy business. The capital markets have turned risk-averse, making financing for renewable and alternative energy hard to come by. Declining oil prices make it harder for cleaner transport fuels to compete with gasoline. In a slumping economy, governments will be reluctant to pass climate change legislation that will raise gas and electricity rates.

Despite the dark clouds and lack luster sentiment, renewable energy is still seen to be the way of the future as businesses and corporation realize that the world currently relies heavily on coal, oil, and natural gas for its energy. Fossil fuels are nonrenewable, that is, they draw on finite resources that will eventually dwindle, becoming too expensive or too environmentally damaging to retrieve. In contrast, renewable energy resources – such as wind and solar energy - are constantly replenished and will never run out. Meeting future energy needs in an environmentally responsible way requires scientific breakthroughs to efficiently generate, store, transmit, and use large amounts of power. Governments and businesses need to be constantly at the forefront of the sectors’ technology and policies in order to capitalize on market opportunities and socio-infrastructure eco-development.

The United States is poised to transform its economy to create millions of new jobs and help create a cleaner, safer planet by investing in a green, renewable-energy based economy. The United States Congress has passed and President Obama has signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 into law. This massive $800 billions spending bill, being truly unprecedented in modern times, will drive new national strategies in renewable energy, smart grid, transmission, advanced vehicles, energy efficiency, and many other aspects of energy, environment, climate and sustainability.

The EITA is proud to host the 2009 Renewable Energy workshop. The workshop will discuss of the following topics:

• Renewable Energy Markets, Policy, Investment, and Future Pathways
• Renewable Energy Opportunities – Business and Research
• Renewable Energy Innovations – Generation, Storage, and Use