EUROSOLAR Press Release, Bonn, March 8th, 2005

EUROSOLAR president and WCRE Chair Dr Hermann Scheer met Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger

The Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, has declared the massive mobilisation of renewable energy as a major political goal: 33% of California’s energy supply is to be based on renewable energy by the year 2020 (sun, wind, water, plant fuel). As one of the measures to reach this target, a draft bill has been presented on Monday to implement a 1,000,000 solar roof program. WCRE Chair and Eurosolar President Dr Hermann Scheer, initiator of the German solar roof program, solar power feed-in and other fundamental legislative innovations, was in California and met with the governor. Dr Scheer spoke in Sacramento’s Capitol, invited by Environment California.

With this target California has linked its efforts to Germany’s and Japan’s solar mobilisation programs, leading to mass production in these technologies: these two countries have 70% of the global market share and industrial leadership in solar electricity equipment.

Dr Scheer presented this initiative as a signal to other countries and states, to enter a global ‘Olympic competition of renewable energy’ and efficiency programs – and a signal for German companies to enter the Californian market.

For further information and images please refer to www.wcre.org or www.eurosolar.org.