Africa and Latin America to benefit from solar power developments

Bay Solar Power Design Shares Solar Technology with International Consumers.

PACIFICA, Calif. -- Bay Solar Power Design, a company dedicated to providing accessible solar energy worldwide, participated in a Nigerian Conference in Toronto to discuss designing solutions for solar energy in Africa. The company also joined Governor Schwarzenegger in a similar trade mission in Mexico in November.

John Bannen, CEO of Bay Solar Power Design, met with government officials and private sector representatives from Nigeria to discuss the benefits of solar energy for commercial and residential use in the West African country.

Reliable energy is problematic in several parts of the world, particularly in developing nations of Africa and Latin America. Bay Solar Power Design works to create an infrastructure to utilize solar energy in government facilities, commercial buildings, private homes, and rural communities that typically don't have access to electricity. Following the Nigerian Conference, Bannen will visit Africa for additional meetings with government and business leaders about providing solar energy solutions.

"Expanding to global markets, such as Mexico and Africa, is critical to expanding the reach and popularity of renewable technologies," stated Bannen. "Our products are appropriate for these countries. We are proud to have accompanied Governor Schwarzenegger on the Mexico trade mission to bring this technology to countries worldwide and are looking forward to our continued meetings with African businesses and government officials. When a country goes solar, it grows both economically and socially. By investing in a power plant instead of renting, they take projected expenses and turn them into capital investments or additional workforce -- growth that has a multiplier effect on businesses and municipalities."

The California Environmental & Energy Trade Mission to Mexico and the Nigerian Conference in Toronto are co-sponsored in part by Skyline College's Center for International Trade Development (CITD), an economic development initiative funded by the Chancellor for Community Colleges. The CITD vitalizes the local economy by helping small and medium size companies expand to global markets. Richard Soyombo of CITD has been instrumental in introducing Bay Solar Power Design to opportunities in Mexico, Africa and other international markets. According to Soyombo, "World organizations such as the United Nations have emphasized the need for third world countries to adopt solar energy as the way of the future."