Keynote speakers for the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference, or WIREC 2008 in March will include international leaders throughout the field of renewable energy.

Among the confirmed speakers are Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, the Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden Maud Olofsson, and Lady Mayor of Bonn Baerbel Dieckmann, who serves as President of the World Mayors Council on Climate Change.

Other renowned speakers include Director of National Renewable Energy Labs Dan Arvizu, Harvard professor Millie Dresselhaus, Mohamed El-Ashrey, Chairman of Renewable Energy Network-21, Christopher Flavin, President, WorldWatch, Wolfgang Palz, Chairman of the World Council on Energy, and Michael Liebreich, CEO of New Energy Finance. Business leaders from around the world who also plan to contribute to the discussions include Peter Robertson, Vice Chairman of Chevron and Tony Hayward, the Chief Executive Officer of BP.

WIREC 2008 is the third global ministerial-level conference on renewable energy, following events in Beijing in 2005 and Bonn in 2004. The conference will take place March 4-6 at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.