Swedish ties put Rockford in mix to host bioenergy showcase

By Thomas V. Bona

BusinessRockford.com

Rockford is in the running for an international showcase of bioenergy technology and applications.

International Bioenergy Days, an event organized by Swedish and U.S. groups, is considering Rockford as one of three leading contenders for the 2010 event. Other candidates include Albany, N.Y., and Golden, Colo.

Rockford economic development leaders hope to land the event because it will bring hundreds of participants to talk about the latest developments in alternative energy — including ethanol production, wind farms, combustible biomass and methane production. The event could put Rockford on the map for companies looking to implement those technologies and help local groups already heading down that road.

“The regions that get there first are going to succeed long term,” said Mark Podemski, vice president for development for the Rockford Area Economic Development Council.

Rockford’s candidacy came from its existing relationship with Sweden, particularly the city of Lidköping, which is co-hosting this year’s event. Sweden is considered a world leader in implementing bioenergy technology.

Bengt Erik Löfgren, president and managing director for Äfab, the Swedish company co-sponsoring the event, says his vote is for Rockford because of the existing relationship. He said it’s easier for Swedish companies to come to a place with which they are familiar and comfortable. In 2008, the event was in Mankato, Minn., and Löfgren said it might be best to keep the focus on the Midwest before heading elsewhere.

One technology he’s particularly excited about for the U.S. to use is wood-pellet burning for heating buildings, which has grown rapidly in Sweden and is picking up steam in the northeastern U.S.

Löfgren thinks International Bioenergy Days — which started in 2006 — is a way to show the private sector that going green doesn’t have to go against the bottom line. In the past five years, Sweden has seen its gross national product increase significantly even while cutting its carbon dioxide emissions by 20 percent.

“We have shown that this is big business,” Löfgren said. “You don’t have to lose your great new jobs to do it.”

The organization expects to announce the 2010 host city in April.

Contact staff writer Thomas V. Bona at 815-987-1343 or tbona@rrstar.com.