WASHINGTON, July 22, 2008 - As a follow-up to the successful Washington International Renewable Energy Conference (WIREC 2008), the United States today announced the launch of the WIREC Conference Report. (...) In addition, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory has published a preliminary impact assessment of the pledges submitted to the Washington International Action Program.

The WIREC 2008 Report is a comprehensive overview of the three-day March conference which focused on cross-cutting renewable energy policy issues: research and development; market adoption and finance; agriculture, forestry, and rural development; and involvement of sub-national authorities. "The vast supply of renewable energy resources must be harnessed in ways that are technically feasible, financially viable and socially acceptable," said Ambassador Reno Harnish, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans, Environment and Science. "The United States looks forward to working together with public and private partners, both domestic and international, to make renewable energy a growing reality in the years to come".

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (REL) has been authorized by the U.S. government to document the carbon dioxide (CO2) savings from the pledges made at WIREC 2008 . These pledges represent a large number of players and sectors from participating countries demonstrating the wide variety of opportunities that exist to accelerate renewable energy markets around the world. Upon receiving and reviewing comments on their preliminary assessment from the pledging entities, NREL plans to publish a robust impact analysis in August.

"The pledges are truly the most important outcome of this conference and will create economic opportunity for rural communities globally," said Under Secretary of Agriculture for Rural Development, Thomas Dorr. "The 145 WIREC pledges have the potential to provide thousands of megawatts of renewable electricity capacity through 2030, and eliminate billions of tons of CO2 that would have otherwise been generated from conventional sources".

In partnership with the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21), WIREC 2008 gathered specific, policy-oriented initiatives that will significantly increase the presence of renewable energy worldwide. A complete list of the pledges made at WIREC 2008 may be found at: http://www.ren21.net/wiap/wirec.asp.

WIREC 2008 was hosted by the United States government, with participation from numerous agencies, including the Departments of State, Agriculture, Commerce, Interior, and Energy, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

An international platform for government, private sector, and non-governmental leaders to jointly address the goal of advancing renewable energy, WIREC 2008 was the third global ministerial-level conference on renewable energy, following events in Beijing in 2005 and Bonn in 2004. India has offered and been selected by the WIREC 2008 participants to host the next International Renewable Energy Conference in 2010.

For more information on WIREC, visit  www.wirec2008.gov.