No word yet on why Hermann Scheer died unexpectedly on the evening of Oct. 14, but what’s clear is that this champion of solar power and distributed renewable energy generation has left behind a rich legacy that has already inspired many jurisdictions, including Ontario. I had a chance to speak with Scheer at least a couple of times over the past few years and have read much of his work. He was an inspiring man, and one not willing to accept that renewable energy needs to be shoe-horned into a fossil-fuel infrastructure. Here’s a link to the news of his death.

I say “must-see”, of course, because I’ll be moderating the panel

But seriously, this year’s Green Living Show in Toronto between April 24 and 26 will be more geared this year to the cleantech crowd, specifically on Day 1 . Beginning with some opening comments from Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and Toronto mayor David Miller (and a provincial announcement of some sort), the panel will kick off at around 10 a.m. and will explore what businesses can do to benefit from cleantech and green energy. About 30 or so CEOs from Canada’s cleantech sector will be in the audience as well.

Panelists will include:

1) Nick Parker, co-founder and executive chairman and overall excellent guy of the Cleantech Group.

2) Dr. Hermann Scheer, author, German legislator and president of EUROSOLAR.

3) David O’Brien, president and CEO of Toronto Hydro Corp.

4) Someone from PriceWaterhouseCoopers will also be on the panel to talk about the tax benefits/implications for businesses that purchase/deploy green technologies.

The morning session will be followed by a keynote speech from Joel Makower, executive editor of GreenBiz.com, co-founder of Clean Edge Inc., author of blog Two Steps Forward, and author of the new business book Strategies for the Green Economy.

It should be an interesting and informative morning… and show.

It was a big day yesterday for renewable energy, even though most North American media outlets didn’t notice.  The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) was officially launched in Bonn, Germany, creating an international voice for the renewable-energy industry that simply wasn’t being represented adequately by the International Energy Agency. German legislator Hermann Scheer, known as the chief architect of Germany’s green-energy laws, has spent the past two decades as the driving force behind IRENA’s creation. Said Scheer yesterday: “From this day forward, the world’s nations will have a mechanism for working together on the adoption of renewable energies.”

During the event 75 countries became official members and several more indicated plans to join. Canada, the U.S., and Australia are among those that have refused to join, but Canada perhaps stands out as least supportive of the effort.  At least the United States and Australia sent official observers. “Regretfully, Canada did not send an official representation to the founding conference,” said Jose Etcheverry of the David Suzuki Foundation.

The American Council on Renewable Energy is hoping the U.S. will reconsider the Bush administration’s refusal to join, and under an Obama administration there’s a good chance it will. That leaves Canada, which has consistently maintained the position: “Why bother?”