USIBC Launches New Task Force

Tuesday, 07 September 2010 19:08

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The United States-India Business Council (USIBC) has launched the Solar Power Task Force, a new initiative to promote solar power trade and investment between India and America. Comprised of private-sector companies, the Task Force supports the United States’ efforts to export state-of-the-art technologies, while advancing India’s mandate to reduce its dependence on imported coal and fossil fuels. The Task Force is a subcommittee of USIBC’s Energy, Environment, Enterprise (EEE) Executive Committee.

Bryan Ashley, chief marketing officer of Suniva, and Aparna Doshi, chief operating officer of Astonfield, will co-chair the Task Force.

USIBC President Ron Somers says, “The aim of the USIBC Solar Task Force is to ensure robust cooperation - both financial and technological - between American and Indian firms participating in this vital sector, and to promote an enabling environment that will spur the application of efficient, clean solar-powered energy throughout India and the globe.”

In November 2009, the U.S. and India signed a memorandum of understanding on energy security, energy efficiency, clean energy and climate change to promote cooperation in energy efficiency and green power development. The USIBC Solar Task Force will support the two governments’ efforts to accelerate utility-scale solar deployment.

Also in November 2009, India established the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) with a goal to produce more than 20,000 MW of new solar generation by 2022. The program aims to mitigate the impact of climate change, while simultaneously promoting rural development and energy security. USIBC’s Solar Power Task Force will support the adoption of policies that promote the success of the JNNSM to provide clean energy.

The U.S.-India Business Council was formed in 1975 to advance commercial ties between the world’s largest free-market democracies and is hosted under the aegis of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. For more information please visit www.usibc.com.