Invited by CORE to give the luncheon Keynote at the CORE’s Sustainable Opportunities Summit on March 17, Mr. Claude Graff, VP Renewable Energies at global Schneider Electric’s Paris HQ and Chairman of the TENERRDIS renewable energy cluster in the Grenoble area, gave an international perspective at this 4th annual event.

“What we have seen is that not only do the two regions have the same vision about cleantech and new energies, but they are also both very pragmatic, said Claude Graff of Schneider Electric and TENNERDIS. We have seen a lot of opportunities to work together in the future in smart grids, in renewables and in other areas such as fuel cells, and this makes a lot of sense,” he further confirmed.

Co-organized by Denver-based CORA (The Colorado Rhone-Alpes Network) an initiative of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the French-American Chamber of Commerce, and AEPI (Grenoble-Isere Eco. Dev. Agency) in Grenoble, France, and Los Angeles, California, the trade mission’s 12-member delegation included innovative small and large French companies (Schneider Electric and subsidiary Xantrex, both energy and transportation divisions of Veolia, Recupyl, etc.), Grenoble’s polytechnic university tech-transfer office (INPG Entreprise SA), the head of the Micro/Nano/ Embedded Systems cluster (Minalogic), a service provider (Plug Into Europe) and economic development organizations (AEPI, Invest in France). The group met both together and separately with counterparts and potential partners in Colorado.

Also on the agenda were visits and complementary technical meetings at NREL, CSU Fort Collins (the energy lab and start-ups), CSIA (Colorado Software Industry Association), a pre-conference seminar on opportunities entitled “Grenoble-Isère, Rhône Alpes, France, a European Center for Innovation” and a VIP reception hosted by Molson Coors and sponsored by Schneider Electric, AEPI, The Invest in France Agency (IFA), and United Airlines. The group and their guests were honored by a welcome from Governor Bill Ritter, an eloquent supporter of sustainability who praised the initiative.

CORA also partnered with the Colorado International Trade Office (ITO), which hosted a breakfast briefing on Thursday morning, to introduce the group to the climate change and renewable energy policies and economic development goals of Colorado.

“The Colorado International Trade Office was pleased to assist the French delegation with introductions to potential Colorado business and research partners and State officials involved in the renewable energy and clean tech sectors. It is partnerships with organizations such as the French American Chamber of Commerce and CORA that help us leverage resources for the benefit of Colorado’s economy and businesses,” noted Pam Reichert, ITO Director.

The group looks forward to a similar reciprocal event in the Grenoble area in the future and invites Coloradans to contact CORA!

Alain Cottalorda, AEPI President and Bill Ritter, Colorado Governor 1.

Claude Graff, Tenerrdis President and Alain Cottalorda, AEPI President during the operation in Denver, Colorado which took place in March 2009 2.

1. Alain Cottalorda, AEPI President & Bill Ritter, Colorado Gorvernor

2. Claude Graff, Tenerrdis President and Alain Cottalorda, AEPI President

Complete press release: here