THE one-year-old  German-Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GPCCI) expects a lot of joint ventures happening between  companies of the two countries in the development of renewable energy here, particularly geothermal, wind and solar.

Klaus Schroeder, president of the GPCCI, said this “green partnerships” will now be the trend because Germany is the leader in renewable-energy technology, while the Philippines has just passed its Renewable Energy Act.

The Philippines is the first to put that into law in Asia, so it’s a great opportunity, and that is why going green is our focus. It [partnership] has already started, and more are coming,” he told the BusinessMirror.

Schroeder cited as example the ongoing negotiations between the Lopez group and a German firm for a windmill project in the northern part of the Philippines. He did not give details.

  He said the passage of the Renewable Energy Act has definitely put the Philippines in the radar of German firms, as the law laid down the policies and incentives that made the country conducive for such capital-intensive projects.

“That is why the chamber was among the first to issue a statement congratulating the President for signing it, because it makes you the leader in Asia and gives you a focus for the future,” he said.He said more German firms are expected to come to the Philippines to evaluate the wind- and solar-energy prospects.

They are also expected to check out opportunities in geothermal plants and them running at 100 percent.

Schroeder said the technology  they have been using in Germany will certainly help the Philippines achieve its targets for power production.

“Germany is here to provide the technological solutions to harness these renewable-energy resources, to provide the technological solutions to ecological problems,” he said.