Central Indiana economic officials eye European energy firms

The IBJ

Economic development officials from the Indy Partnership are planning to travel to Berlin to attend the inaugural German American Energy Conference March 30 through April 2.

The trip comes at an opportune time: The Obama administration announced yesterday that Indianapolis would receive $8 million in federal stimulus funds for energy-efficiency and conservation projects.

Renewable energy is the focus of the event hosted by the German Energy Agency and the German American Chambers of Commerce. Obama's pledge to provide $150 billion to assist the nation's renewable energy sector makes the U.S. market more attractive to overseas companies.

The Indy Partnership is a privately funded not-for-profit that promotes economic development opportunities in 10 central Indiana counties.

Indy Partnership leaders are attending to pitch the Indianapolis region to European renewable energy firms as an attractive location to do business, said Kristie McKillip, the organization's director of business development. The group did not say how many officials would make the trip.

The conference will feature several panel discussions and presentations by global experts in the fields of solar, wind and bio-energy sources. Organizers plan to stage the four-day event every other year on a rotating basis between Germany and the United States.