L.A.-Long Beach World Trade Center Association, Berlin Sign Agreement to Collaborate on Clean Technology Clusters

Sister cities will work together on development of renewable energy projects to foster economic growth

Los Angeles—The World Trade Center Association Los Angeles-Long Beach (WTCA LA-LB), a subsidiary of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC), recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the German city of Berlin and its clean tech business park to foster economic growth in Los Angeles County through clean technology clusters and renewable energy projects.

The MOU was signed by Vance Baugham, WTCA LA-LB president, and Christian Graff, Councilor for Economics in the Berlin borough of Marzahn-Hellersdorf. Both Los Angeles and Berlin have made significant investments in land, capital, and resources to move forward in clean technology developments.

Vance Baugham

“We are excited about the MOU between the Berlin-Marzahn Cleantech Business Park and the WTCA L.A.-Long Beach as it will serve as a prelude to our 2011 visit to Berlin and to the fostering of a long term relationship in the promotion of renewable energy technologies,” said Baugham. “While we have much to learn from our German partners in the area of clean technologies, we are confident that we will bring them insight and solutions to overcoming barriers to renewable energy expansion as well.”

“We also believe that the Berlin Cleantech Business Park will serve as a useful guide to Los Angeles in helping us develop our own clean tech industrial park. We look forward to working with them and the City of Berlin on an ongoing basis to support renewable energy usage in both Berlin and in Los Angeles County,” said Baugham.

“Los Angeles County and Berlin are at the forefront of the U.S. and Europe in developing renewable energy industries. Both communities rely on renewable sources for roughly 20 percent of their energy use, and both are just now working on the development of storage and transmissions solutions to enable significant expansion of their renewable energy industry sectors,” said Bill Allen, LAEDC president and CEO.

Germany and California have demonstrated global leadership in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and support the growth of the clean energy economy through public policy. This MOU marks a major step in the move toward more energy efficient, clean tech regions and preludes a delegation visit led by the WTCA LA-LB and LAEDC to the Berlin-Marzahn Cleantech Business Park in early 2011.

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