Clean Energy Entrepreneurs' Forum

International Partnerships in Clean Energy Companies 

Sponsored by DLA Piper LLC

FountainBlue's April 2 Clean energy is hot and different countries are building expertise and experience in the many different industries in clean energy opportunities:

• Renewable energy like solar, wind, bio-energy, and environmentally-friendly hydroelectric technologies
• Energy efficiency and demand response—electricity end-use, buildings and grid applications
• Environment-enhancing technologies—advanced flue gas clean-up, ultra-low emissions generation such as fuel cells, environmental remediation, and exceptionally efficient generation
• Enabling technologies—power electronics, storage, low-loss cables and wires, sensors and instrumentation, control systems, materials and manufacturing technology, and integrated clean energy applications.

In this FountainBlue Clean Energy Entrepreneurs' Forum, we will hear success stories from three different regions and discuss the business opportunities for partnering with international associations and organizations for mutual economic benefit.

• Facilitator Brad Rock, Partner, DLA Piper
• Panelist Adam Browning, Executive Director of VoteSolar
• Panelist Almaz Negash, Managing Partner, EntwineGlobal LLP
• Panelist Peter Winarsky, Innovation Center Denmark

   

  Below is advice and information about working with international organizations in support of clean energy entrepreneurs locally:

  International Energy Usage Needs and Patterns

  • Energy usage patterns are in reverse relationship with worldwide population levels

  • Liquid petroleum is prevalent in North America, with coal prevalent in Asia and Africa and hydroelectricity in South America.

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  • Danish companies have successes in wind energy, biofuels for transportion, water purification, and building installations.

  • African countries with stable political infrastructure friendly to outside investments might provide an opportunity for clean energy entrepreneurs and investors alike. Example is Jathropa oil. 

    • Info from http://www.jcmiras.net/jcm/item/85/ Jathropha (some news articles used to spell it as “jathropa” is a genus of approximately 175 succulents, shrubs and trees (some are deciduous, like Jatropha curcas L.), from the family Euphorbiaceae. One of the species of jatropha, the Jatropha curcas, also called physic nut, is used to produce the non-edible Jatropha oil, for making candles and soap, and as an ingredient in the production of biodiesel. The trees produce 1600 liters of oil per hectare (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jatropha).

  Implications for Clean Energy Entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley

  • If the US can leverage the growing consumer attitudes in support of solar energy, and if it is successful in managing the state-by-state policy, regulatory and business barriers to having an efficient model for solar energy generation and distribution, solar energy solutions in the US will become more competitive.

  • The problems in solar energy in the US are more related to distribution than the technology development itself.

  • The power companies within the US are frequently siloed, state by state, and are not sufficiently incentivized to promote having entrepreneurs and their technologies widely available to consumers, who are increasingly interested in getting access to it.

  For more information:

  • Find out more about VoteSolar and support them in creating a blueprint for putting together the processes and partnerships necessary to support solar energy adoption, state by state. http://www.votesolar.com

  • Contact Brad Rock from DLA Piper regarding their legal services for clean energy (or other) early stage entrepreneurs. http://www.dlapiper.com, Brad.Rock@dlapiper.com

  • Contact Gunnar Larsen or Peter Winarsky from Innovation Center Denmark regarding their efforts to support entrepreneurship both in the US and in Denmark http://www.innovationcenterdenmark.com

  • Contact Almaz Negash directly about her work with Jathropa and bringing the economic opportunity to Ghana. almaz@entwineglobal.com

  Although solar technologies were first introduced by Bell Labs in the 1950s, Germany and Japan have strong solar energy markets, subsidized by the government.