Vaasa EnergyWeek attracts many international guests. Ambassadors from Canada, Latvia, Germany, Iceland and the USA, among others, see opportunities.
Ambassadors, delegates and representatives from many different countries gather at EnergyWeek. Many of the guests are there to network or seek new energy solutions. One of them is Chavanart Thangsumphant, Ambassador of Thailand.
“We need to be brave. We are here to seek both inspiration and solutions,” says Chavanart Thangsumphant.
Iceland found the courage
The Ambassador of Iceland, Harald Aspelund, explains that the village where he grew up, like all of Iceland, used to be dependent on Soviet oil. Aspelund says it took courage from decision-makers to abandon the old technology and build new systems based on geothermal energy.
“Today, almost 100% of houses in Iceland are heated by clean energy,” he says.
Harald Aspelund also advises the rest of us to be brave.
“What happened in Iceland can be compared to what is now happening with wind and the sun in Europe,” Aspelund adds.
New businesses are created
Latvian Ambassador Dace Treija-Masī sees the transition to green energy not as a burden but as an opportunity. The American ambassador Douglas Hickey is on the same track.
“On a global scale new companies are born. New Googles and new Amazons will be built to solve the problems,” says Douglas Hickey.
New job opportunities are also created
Ambassador Jeanette Stovel from Canada says that there are many opportunities for Finnish and Canadian companies to work together. Stovel highlights that today there are also ways for young clean-tech professionals to try out what it is like to work in each other’s countries.
“Finland and Canada have a long history of cooperation,” Jeanette Stovel adds.
