WIREC 2008 Report

U.S. Department of State

2008

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TheWashington International Renewable Energy Conference (WIREC) convenedMarch 4- 6, 2008, at the Washington, D.C. Convention Center. The U.S. Government organized the conference in collaboration with the American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE). WIREC consisted of four components: a ministerial-level meeting complemented by a colocated but separately organized business conference, a trade show exhibition, and official side events.At the ministerial-level conference, participants from government, civil society, non-profit organizations, academia, and private sector discussed the benefits and costs of a major and rapid scale-up in the global deployment of renewable energy technology. The ministerial conference integrated economic, social, security, and environmental dimensions of renewable energy and addressed a wide range of issues. More than 3,000 participants from 125 countries attended theMinisterialMeeting, including 103 ministers. Nearly 6,000 individuals took part in the parallel events for a grand total of some 9,000 participants, making WIREC the largest conference on renewable energy held to date. This report provides a summary of the proceedings at the Ministerial Meeting events accompanied by brief descriptions of the parallel events. The full presentations of many of the speakers can be found at the WIREC website www.WIREC2008.gov. [Extracto: Introduction]

Washington International Renewable Energy Conference (WIREC 2008);