Posts Tagged ‘Export Green: Brazil’

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Export Green Brings Solar Small Business to Brazil

May 11, 2012

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Cora Dickson is a Senior International Trade Specialist in ITA’s Office of Energy and Environmental Industries.

At the end of April, I accompanied the certified trade mission “Export Green: Brazil – Energy and Environment” to Brazil. This was the second trade mission for Export Green, ITA’s partner under the Market Development Cooperator Program. Last year, participating companies went to São Paulo and Rio; this year, Export Green tried a different approach and offered more options to the 13 participating companies, based on their needs and prospects. As a result, we ended up with three distinct groups with overlapping itineraries: São Paulo/Rio/Recife, São Paulo/Recife, and São Paulo/Rio.

The Brazil-U.S. Business Council and the Export Green Initiative host a trade mission to Brazil (Photo Ian Wagreich/U.S. Chamber of Commerce)

The Brazil-U.S. Business Council and the Export Green Initiative host a trade mission to Brazil (Photo Ian Wagreich/U.S. Chamber of Commerce)

Our Commercial Service presence in the northeast city of Recife has been augmented in recent months, due to increasing trade opportunities in the region, with growth between 4 and 4.5 percent. Our group was in fact the first “official” U.S. government-sponsored trade mission to Recife and the staff was determined to help the companies make business connections. Delegates met with Brazilian companies in a “speed dating” style, with as many as 12 meetings in four straight hours. All told, 102 meetings took place, and 46 local companies came to meet the U.S. delegation.

Another great feature of our trade mission was the “Solar Program” designed for the three participating companies from the solar sector. I accompanied them to Rio as we met with five Brazilian entities that are building, or are considering building, large-scale solar projects. Brazil is at a critical juncture in promoting solar energy. Despite the more than adequate supply of sun, solar is one of the few renewable energy sectors where Brazil lacks deployment and expertise. The country however is very strong in hydropower, biomass, and recently wind power.

Just the week before, Brazil’s electricity regulator ANEEL had announced two important new solar policies: “net metering,” making it possible to sell excess power back to the grid, and an 80% tax break for solar plants up to 30MW. These new regulations were frequently cited during meetings with these companies, giving us the strong impression that there could not have been a better time for the U.S. solar industry to be exploring opportunities in Brazil.

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Trade Roots and ITA Partner to Bring Green Products to Brazil

June 6, 2011

Cora Dickson is a Senior International Trade Specialist at the International Trade Administration(ITA) in the Office of Energy and Environmental Industries. She is also the coordinator for the Export Green: Brazil project under the Market Development Cooperator Program.

You may recall when I reported here in November on the launch of “Export Green: Brazil” at the Americas Competitiveness Forum. Now, the two-year project under ITA’s Market Development Cooperator Program is getting into full swing with its first trade mission to São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro August 28-September 2.

In partnership with the Brazil-U.S. Business Council and Trade Roots, two entities within the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, ITA already provides technical assistance for activities under Export Green. Today, Assistant Secretary for Manufacturing and Services Nicole Lamb-Hale raised the profile of their Certified Trade Missioneven further by announcing her participation in key events of the mission to highlight U.S. companies’ ability and desire to fulfill Brazil’s green technologies needs.

Assistant Secretary for Manufacturing and Services Nicole Y. Lamb Hale during the "Opportunities for Colorado Green Companies in Brazil" event in Denver

Approximately 15-20 green tech companies will participate in the trade mission, which is focused on green building solutions and will coincide with the “Brazil Green Build Conference and Expo” in São Paulo. Participating companies will also benefit from ITA’s matchmaking services by having a day of meetings in São Paulo with potential business prospects. In Rio de Janeiro, the delegation will take part in a conference organized by Export Green and also take a tour of the Porto Maravilha, a district revitalization project with a focus on LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification.

As part of outreach for the mission, last month Assistant Secretary Lamb-Hale and I travelled to Denver for Export Green’s forum, Opportunities for Colorado Green Companies in Brazil. In her keynote speech, she expressed ITA’s enthusiasm: “We stand ready to help U.S. companies that want to export clean technologies, and we are ready to leverage our bilateral ties with Brazil. We have full confidence that the Brazil-U.S. Business Council and Trade Roots can open doors on this trade mission.”

When it hosts the upcoming World Cup (2014) and Olympics (2016), Brazil is hoping to showcase green infrastructure and architecture. Even small U.S. companies with innovative technologies can take advantage of subcontracting opportunities. Best prospects in the Brazilian green building sector include energy efficient lighting, smart systems for energy automation and management, water treatment, onsite renewable energy, and the use of recycled materials in design and construction.

To demonstrate the market potential for green technology products in Brazil, we recently hosted a webinar to talk about opportunities and strategies. My colleagues from ITA’s Brazil country desk and the Commercial Service in São Paulo gave their perspectives, in addition to my own sectoral analysis, and we had presentations from the Brazil-U.S. Business Council as well, including an overview of the trade mission itself. You can download the webinar presentations here. You can also watch a recorded version, found here – for access, use the conference number PW7277144 and the passcode 3706981. But this replay is only available until June 18, so be sure to check it out soon. The deadline for applications is June 29. For more information, see the Export Green website.

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