Spanish Renewable Energy Firms Eye US Market

Obscured by all of the buzz about the opening of wind energy giant Vestas' first North American blade plant, a delegation of about 30 renewable energy executives and government officials from Spain recently visited Colorado to learn about investment and expansion opportunities in the region. Some of the visitors were already in the US for the dedication of Acciona’s new concentrating solar power plant outside of Las Vegas. The Spanish delegation met with state and local public officials, including Gov. Ritter, and toured a number of sites including the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) in Golden and Colorado State University in Fort Collins. Others involved in the visit include the US Department of Commerce, Metro Denver Economic Development Corp. and the Northern Colorado Economic Development Corp.

It is no secret that Spanish renewable energy companies like Acciona, Iberdola, and Finavera are aggressively positioning themselves to be major manufacturers in the in the American renewable energy industry. The Spanish delegation is not visiting Colorado on a whim. The state has recently shown with the opening of the new Vestas plant, that it is willing to give cash incentives and employment bonuses to clean energy businesses who want to set up shop in the Centennial State.

Photo Credit: TheFriendlyFiend via flickr