The European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, German Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Deutschen Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH are bringing to the Philippines this month eight leading German solar power  firms to explore possible business opportunities in the country.

The German companies are coming to the Philippines under the "renewables -- Made in Germany" program of the German govern
ment which is spearheading a drive to promote renewable energy in Southeast Asia.

ECCP vice president for external affairs Henry Schumacher said the German companies are interested in setting up partnerships for solar energy development in the country.

"Germany is a world leader in renewable energy technology and they are coming to the Philippines to look for potential partners and projects," he said.

Three of the eight companies -- Hopppcke Batterien GmbH Co. KG, Schott Solar AG and Sonnenwerft GmbH -- already have a presence in Asia with operations in China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand.

The other five companies -- Donauer Solartechnik Vertriebs GmbH, Energiebau Solarstromsysteme GmbH, FBC Solar AG, Inutec Solarzentrum GmbH i.G., and SMA Solar Technology AG -- are coming over to the region for the first time.

"These companies export as much as $100 million in solar technology annually. We are confident that if they find the business environment in the country conducive for investing in renewable energy then they will stay for the long term and increase their presence," Schumacher said.

The eight German companies are looking for opportunities to contribute towards bridging the solar energy gap as this technology contributes only two megawatts -- the lowest among the renewable energy mix in the country.

Besides meeting potential business partners in the country, the eight German companies are also scheduled to hold high level talks with the Board of Investments, Department of Energy, as well as with financial and educational institution officials.

"This will be the first of a series of visits from German renewable energy firms In 2012, we are bringing to the country German companies involved in biomass and biogas," Schumacher said.

The ECCP, GPCCI, and GIZ have been spearheading the drive for the use of renewable energy and the implementation of energy efficient programs among companies in the country.

Source: Manila Times; Business; 17 November 2011