'The economic downturn has reminded the world that it should plan well for the future. We still rely on traditional energy sources to generate 90 percent of our power requirements. However, most of these are non-renewable and have devastating ecological effects,' said Anselm Godino, managing director of International Conferences and Exhibitions, organisers of the Alternative Energy Convention.

'We need to turn this situation around and encourage closer collaboration among private and government entities through forums such as Alter Energy to explore sustainable solutions that can meet our energy needs while conserving our environment,' he added.