Print this pagePrint

Press Release

Friday, April 2, 2010

Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, Chair of Nobel Prize-Winning Climate Change Panel, to Keynote OPIC Renewable Energy Conference

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Dr. Rajendra K Pachauri, chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which in 2007 shared the Nobel Peace Prize with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, will serve as keynote speaker for an international conference on renewable energy and clean technology sponsored by the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC).

The OPIC conference, entitled Renewable Energy & Clean Technology: Accessing Opportunities in Emerging Markets, will be held May 5-7 at the Shangri-La Hotel in New Delhi India. Information about the conference may be found at www.opicevents.com.

The conference is designed to identify investment opportunities in the renewable energy and clean technology sectors. Industry leaders in solar, wind, hydro, biomass and clean technology development, along with investment professionals, foundation representatives, bankers, private equity managers, and U.S. and local government officials will provide insights into investment opportunities in the renewable energy and clean technology sectors in Africa, Asia, eastern Europe and Latin America, as well as financing tools available to take advantage of them.

“New avenues to a sustainable energy future present investors with unprecedented opportunities, making this OPIC conference a valuable occasion to facilitate new levels of investment in renewable energy and clean technology,” Dr. Pachauri said. “As global energy markets and technologies evolve, the need to attain higher energy security and spread access to renewable energy to emerging markets, in particular, grows. I look forward to participating in this conference, in the hope it may help drive economic decisions today, and drive the future of energy in the world tomorrow.”

OPIC Acting President Dr. Lawrence Spinelli said, “We are honored by Dr. Pachauri’s participation in OPIC’s upcoming conference on renewable energy and clean technology. As the international community turns increasingly to both sectors as means to power our future, investment opportunities will grow accordingly. Dr. Pachauri will serve as the ideal conduit for this message, connecting investors and the many investment opportunities that exist in emerging markets.”

Since 2002, Dr. Pachauri has served as chair of the IPCC, a scientific intergovernmental body tasked with evaluating the risk of climate change caused by human activity, established by World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme in 1988.

Dr. Pachauri is also director general of The Energy and Resources Institute, an Indian research institute which conducts research in the fields of energy, environment and sustainable development; and director of the Yale Climate and Energy Institute.

He earned a Master of Science degree in industrial engineering, and a joint Ph.D in industrial engineering and economics, both from North Carolina State University in Raleigh. He has authored 23 books and several papers and articles.

 Dr. Pachauri has received numerous awards for his work, among them the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian award, and membership in France’s Legion of Honor.
 


OPIC is the U.S. Government’s development finance institution.  It mobilizes private capital to help solve critical development challenges and in doing so, advances U.S. foreign policy.  Because OPIC works with the U.S. private sector, it helps U.S. businesses gain footholds in emerging markets catalyzing revenues, jobs and growth opportunities both at home and abroad.  OPIC achieves its mission by providing investors with financing, guarantees, political risk insurance, and support for private equity investment funds.

 

Established as an agency of the U.S. Government in 1971, OPIC operates on a self-sustaining basis at no net cost to American taxpayers. OPIC services are available for new and expanding business enterprises in more than 150 countries worldwide. To date, OPIC has supported nearly $200 billion of investment in over 4,000 projects, generated $74 billion in U.S. exports and supported more than 275,000 American jobs.