Renewable Energy and Smart Grid Suppliers Forum: Emerging Opportunities for U.S. Firms
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On May 1, 2018, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) hosted the “Renewable Energy and Smart Grid Suppliers Forum” to engage U.S. firms interested in beginning or expanding business in developing country markets. The event had four main objectives:
- Highlight opportunities for selling equipment, technologies, and services in key emerging markets;
- Offer guidance on working with partners and potential sources of financing and investment;
- Discuss competitiveness challenges and export strategies and approaches; and
- Facilitate networking with partners and investors working in each market.
The forum focused on equipment sales for utility-scale wind and solar power, smart transmission and distribution, related information and communication technologies (ICTs), demand-response tools, and energy storage. It also focused on provision of technical services for utility and grid planning, reverse auctions, grid integration of variable RE, and RE zones.
The forum engaged 71 participants from U.S. companies, trade associations, non-governmental organizations, and USG agencies. It highlighted recommendations and insights from private sector leaders that have successfully expanded sales of RE, smart grids, and energy storage products and services in developing countries. It also identified the types of assistance and support offered by USG agencies to help U.S. firms assess market opportunities and enter or increase sales in developing countries.
The forum was supported by the USAID/Washington GCC office. Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) was the forum’s media partner. The USAID-funded Climate Economic Analysis for Development, Investment and Resilience (CEADIR) and Environmental Communication, Learning and Outreach (ECO) Activities organized the event and prepared the workshop materials, which are available with the presentations on the Climatelinks website.
A report from the Forum is available for download below.