Granada, Nicaragua: January 17-19, 2012  -  Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: April 10, 2012

Background of RIO 12


Renewable Energies, such as solar, wind, biomass and hydro, are without alternatives for the energy supply of the future. The promotion of Renewable Energies to fight climate change and to save the resources of our planet is on the agenda since the first UN-World-Summit in Rio de Janeiro 1992. The following UN-Summits in Kyoto, Johannesburg and the "Renewables 2004" in Bonn, brought together world leaders to take according steps and act on a global scale. A strong commitment was endorsed to increase considerably the utilization of renewable energies, in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, poverty, and the dependence on fossil fuels. Nuclear power is fading out and has to be substituted. This will bolster an industry that already employs one million people worldwide and provided growth rates of 20% per annum over the previous decade.

RIO 12, a follow-up to the successful RIO 9, RIO 6, RIO 5, RIO 3 and RIO 02 World Climate & Energy Events, is being held in Granada, Nicaragua to spread the implementation of Renewable and energy saving strategies. Due to successful mass production of Renewable power supplies and its components, generation costs via Renewables are now well below consumer electricity prices in most countries of Latin America and the Caribbean – this offers excellent business opportunities, even in countries without particular grid-feed tariffs. RIO 12 will be the meeting point of present and future players in that field.

Structure: Composition of the Event


The international RIO 12 – Congress will bring together leading experts from the fields of scientific research, politics and industry. Previous attendees at RIO 3, RIO 5, RIO 6 and RIO 9 have been: Prof. Martin Green, Prof. Chris Wronski, Prof. Peter Landsberg †, Carlos Minc, Dr. Hermann Scheer †, Dr. Franz Alt, Fernando Gabeira, Dr. Bautista Vidal. The Nicaraguan Government, the World Council for Renewable Energy (WCRE) and GIZ are backing the event and will send top representatives.

The Latin American Renewable Energy Fair (LAREF 2012), in conjunction with RIO 12, will give companies and institutions the opportunity to present the latest in energy technologies and services to a growing Latin American and World market.

At LAREF 2009, 2006, 2005, 2003 Petrobrás, Wobben-Enercon Windpower, GIZ, SEBRAE, the German Ministry of Economy and Labour (BMWA), CanalEnergia, Q-cells SE, Valentin Energysoftware, Bosch Solar Energy AG, Solon SE, Nordex Energy SE, MAN, Riosolar Ltda, Phocos, PI-Berlin, Santon (Netherlands), ISES (Brazil), Trina (China), Copia Energy (Japan), XL Telecom & Energy (India), Kyocera Solar do Brasil, Greenpeace, and others exhibited their products, projects and services.

Excursions to existing and future energy projects are scheduled on 19th of January 2012, offering numerous international contact and networking opportunities.