Swiss Federal Office of Energy Establishes Partnership with Massachusetts Clean Energy Technology Center
Bern, 16.02.2015 - Walter Steinmann, director of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) and Alicia Barton, CEO of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Technology Center (MassCEC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on a partnership in the area of clean energy technologies. The focus of the joint efforts will be in energy efficiency, the electrical grid and the collaborative fostering of innovation.
The first step in establishing the partnership between Switzerland and Massachusetts in the area of clean energy technologies took place last summer during the Swiss-US Energy Innovation Days 2014, co-organized by SFOE and swissnex Boston, the Consulate of Switzerland. The agreement aims to establish collaborations in a wide range of topics: from energy efficiency and architectural technology to smart grids, intelligent metering and micro grids. The joint memorandum further envisions a strengthened exchange in the supportive frameworks for innovative start-ups in the field of clean energy technology.
"International partnerships like this one build the connections that allow Massachusetts' businesses to navigate the rapidly-growing global markets for clean energy technologies. We're thrilled to be a part of this collaboration and look forward to working with our Swiss partners to meet our mutual goals," said Alicia Barton. Walter Steinmann stated, "Clean energy markets are increasingly crossing borders. Gaining insights about how other countries foster innovation and entrepreneurship in this field is becoming more and more important. We are therefore looking forward to learning and exchanging knowledge with the highly successful energy innovation institution MassCEC."
The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) is dedicated to accelerating the success of clean energy technologies, companies and projects while creating high-quality jobs and long-term economic growth for the people of Massachusetts. Since it began operating in 2009, MassCEC has helped clean energy companies grow, supported municipal clean energy projects and invested in residential and commercial renewable energy installations creating a robust marketplace for innovative clean technology companies and service providers: clean energy jobs increased by 10.5 percent between 2013 and 2014 - with the industry expanding by over 47 percent since 2010.
The Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) is the country's competence centre for issues relating to energy supply and energy use at the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC). The SFOE creates the prerequisites for a sufficient, crisis-proof, broad-based, economic and sustainable energy supply, and ensures the maintenance of high safety standards in the production, transport and utilisation of energy. The SFOE actively promotes efficient energy use, an increase in the share of renewable energy and a reduction in CO2 emissions, and promotes and coordinates national energy research and supports the development of new markets for sustainable energy use and supply.
Address for enquiries
Catherine Williams, Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, (617) 315-9386, cwilliams@masscec.com
Marianne Zünd, Head of Communication SFOE, +41 58 462 56 75, +41 79 763 86 11, marianne.zuend@bfe.admin.ch
Publisher
Swiss Federal Office of Energy
http://www.bfe.admin.ch
