reegle Blog

Next week (on December 10th and 11th) the Virtual Energy Forum will take place the second time. In June this year the organisers (PlatformQ) did the first edition of this online only event - and the response was so positive that they decided to do another one in December this year. The specialty of this event is, that it takes place virtually only - speeches are broadcasted via video-streaming, participants can ask questions via chat mechanisms in real-time and a tradeshow is taking place online.

If you’re intrigued, check out the CNN coverage to learn a bit more about how it worked last time:

This time the Virtual Energy Forum will focus on the “implementation of energy efficient best practices and renewable enery solutions in some of the world’s largest metropolitan cities”. A list of all speakers and their topics in online on the event site. I think, they hav choosen a very interesting and important topic and I am looking forward to hear what solutions the representatives from New York, Atlanta and several other cities are going to present.

We (the reegle team) are joining this event and will have a virtual booth at the tradeshow there, because we think it is a very good idea to save all the emissions that the “event tourism” is causing and that this way of doing events is a very innovative and interesting way to do a conference and tradeshow “focused on how leading companies can adopt better energy management practices to cut costs, while at the same time adopting clean energy alternatives”. Join us at our booth - we are looking forward to have a chat with you at the Virtual Energy Forum (you just need to sign-up, attandance is free).

Today at the EE Forum, industrial and building companies spoke about their activities to lower energy consumption through efficiency measures. Both Mitsubishi and Saint Gobain spoke about manufacturing initiatives and taking a “kaizen” approach to incremental improvements.

Mitsubishi has an “e-F@ctory” solution which is primarily based on intelligent comms & data collection throughout the IT systems (from shop floor to ERP). For Saint Gobain (world’s largest glass and gypsum board producer) energy is between 20-40% of production costs. So, there are economic incentives to reduce energy consumption and the carbon reductions are a result of focusing on economics.

Property developers and building management companies like Hermes and Lend Lease are looking at a variety of methods to reduce the impact of the buildings sector, which represents 40% of a country’s carbon emissions in the OECD. Currently property assessors don’t incorporate sustainability when conducting property valuations. However, in the longer term it’s expected that property will be “re-valued” based on a building’s environmental footprint. Valuations of “green” or low carbon buildings are expected to be 2-6% higher than traditional buildings.

Lend Lease provided an example of focusing on parking lot lighting and building management systems. Each building and its improvement path is different. It all starts with measurement and later evolves into targets and rating systems.

At the 2nd Annual Euromoney-REEEP Energy Efficiency Finance and Investment Forum today in London, utilities, investment managers and energy efficiency experts spoke about the importance of energy efficiency in lowering carbon emissions.

Englefield Capital stated the market in Europe for energy efficiency, using existing technologies, is more than EUR 100 billion (excluding transport). However the energy efficiency market remains fragmented, covering insulation, lighting, appliances, microgeneration and building fabric.

McKinsey spoke about “carbon productivity” (GDP/CO2) stating that current global productivity is $740 GDP/CO2, however in order to meet target carbon abatement paths the number should increase to $7,300. The potential exists to cut world oil demand by 64 million barrels/day through energy efficiency with more than $570 billion in energy infrastructure investment required every year between 2010 and 2030.

UK utility nPower stated that they are seeking financial partners to “package and roll-out” EE products for consumers. In 2008, they launched a new product called ENCOMPASS which is a web-based tool that measures & monitors energy consumption. “We are your energy advisor, not only supplier”.

British Gas is very interested in the clean energy space, having recently acquired a Solar Thermal installer (2nd largest in UK) and a building controls company. Utilities seem to be taking demand reduction seriously, even though initially saving energy appears counterintuitive for them.

After a very long first day with hundreds of interested people at our booth we just started the second day at Carbon Forum Asia. My impression is that the most important thing for most of the attendees here is to get practitioneers and decision makers on one table and discuss about possible solutions for the fight against climate change. For REEEP it is a great opportunity to showcase how easy it is to find information about clean energy topics on the www and the feedback we get about the functionality is very positive. I took this opportunity to showcase our new design and asked visitors for feedback - it seems like our conceptional and design team did a great job

Back to the conference: One of the main parts of this conference and exhibition is the so called ’sellers pavillion’ where about 60 representatives from developing countries in Asia and the Pacific involved in clean energy and CDM projects promote their solutions. This pavillion is intensivly used by credit buyers o meet face to face with project developers and explore business oppotunities.

Today several very interesting workshops are taking place and I am looking forward to the final day of Carbon Forum Asia.

At the moment I am attending the Carbon Forum Asia 2008, which is a Trade Fair and Conference focusing on the opportunities presented by Carbon Markets and mechanisms in the Asia Pacific region. If you are attending this Forum, you can find the reegle booth at the exhibition hall 401 (A15).

What happened until now?

The conference has been opened by a speech of Mr. S. Iswaran, Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry in Singapore. He stated that “Climate change is one of the biggest global challenges we face this millenium” and that it is “in our profound collective interest that we work towards a solution to sustain the world we live in”. He also mentioned that because of the global economic slowdown “governments will have to deal with compelling domestic imperatives” and that “this may adversely affect the process and progress of climate change negotations”. Nevertheless CO2 emssions needs “an urgent and collective solutio, with all parties playing commensurate roles, even in this period of global slowdown”.

After this opening session the exhibition opened for all participants and 258 exhibitors from more than 60 countries started to introduce their products and solutions to more than 3000 visitors.

At the moment Henry Derwent (IETA) is chairing the session about the actual state of the global carbon market which provides an overview about the most recent developments and market data in the Global Carbon Market.

In the afternoon there will be several other interesting session taking place and I am looking forward to hear more about Carbon Trading in Asia.

Will keep you up-to-date …

To summarise the 3rd General Assembly of the European Technology Platform SmartGrids (see also the previous post) find below the 10 key messages and recommendations for developing and deploying Smart-Grids which are one of the results of the ongoing workshops:

1. Promote the Smart-Grids vision to all stakeholders
2. Encourage innovative thinking in network companies and with their stakeholders
3. Encourage a pan-European approach to the Smart-Grids initiative
4. Encourage early development of Smart-Grids through practical demonstration project
5. Further develop Smart-Grids opportunities to strenghten the case for deployment
6. Promote the participation of End-Users
7. Address technical standards in the electricity and telecommunication sectors
8. Understand and manage the environmental impact of network development
9. Promote open access to network information
10. Develop skill base in the network sector to meet the anticipated shortfall

All these recommendations will be taken into concern for the next steps … lets see when we finally get a Smarter Electrical Grid.  

On October 8th/9th, 2008 the 3rd General Assembly of the European Technology Platform SmartGrids “The SmartGrids Revolution - make it happen” are taking place in Brussels.

The SmartGrids European Technology Platform for Electricity Networks of Future began its work in 2005. Its first aim was to formulate and promote a vision for the development of European electricity Networks looking towards 2020 and beyond. See the video below to get further information:

As I am presenting reegle there and the REEEP International Director (Dr. Marianne Moscoso-Osterkorn) is part of the Smart Grids Advisory Committee I am able to give you a short summary of the first day:

Mr. Pier Nabuurs (Chairman of the ETP Smartgrids and CEO KEMA) opened the conference and asked all attendees for participation in the Smartgrids Development. He stated that “we are talking about the Smart Grids revolution today - and you make it happen”.

After this opening speech the Vice President of the EU Parliament (Mr. Alejo Vidal-Quadras) gave a first enthusiastic presentation and ensured that the Commission is sharing his enthusiasm for this important collaboration and that the EU is a convinced supporter of the Smart Grid development. Furthermore he pointed out that it is of high importance that industry as well as consumers are involved in this process and that there is a need to educate and inform consumers about the upcoming challenges. “The only way yo modify human behaviors to let them know how much [energy] they use […]. This is about trusting and empowering consumers.”He also reminded the participants that “[they] should not only set targets but deliver concrete solutions to the customers”

The next session started with a presentation of Raffaele Liberali (Director at the Directorate-General for Research, European Commission). He stated thatwe are just “switching from debate to action” and that the main challenge will be to “integrate and distribute energy fro,m renewable sources” and therefore a “cooperation between technology platforms is crucial”.

Finally the Strategic Deployment Document for Europe`s Electricity Networks of the Future has been introduced and participants have been asked to comment on it. The development of this document is extremely important as “the EU 20-20-20 target is absolutely depended on the (Smart) Grid.”In the afternoon some workshops will take place and I will inform you about other interesting outcomes …

Today on Capitol Hill, key leaders of the Senate, UN, Bush administration, Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP), and other sustainable energy experts met to discuss energy justice and the alleviation of both poverty and climate change through sustainable energy solutions. Energy justice strives to stem the death and sickness of millions of individuals annually from the inefficient burning of biomass for cooking, heating and lighting and to bring appropriate energy technologies to the more than 2 billion impoverished people across the developing world without access to modern energy services.

Increasing access to cleaner cooking technologies and energy resources, especially for the poorest and most vulnerable members of society, has the potential to substantially improve health, poverty alleviation, environmental sustainability, education, and gender equality in developing countries. It also may help address a growing recognition of the global warming impact of black soot, a primary byproduct of the inefficient burning of biomass for energy.

Appropriate energy technologies and the efficient use of energy will play a critical role in achieving energy justice, because they offer decentralized solutions that are available to everybody. Dr. Lakshman Guruswamy, Director of the Center for Energy and Environmental Security at the University of Colorado, stated “U.S. energy and foreign assistance laws and policies can be strengthened to better facilitate energy justice by, for example, specifically providing and leveraging technical and capital assistance for the development and deployment of appropriate energy technologies in developing countries.”

The United States is keen to play a leading role in support of energy justice. Senator Ken Salazar, Member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and Chair of the event, Senator Richard Lugar, Ranking Member and Former Chairman, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Under Secretary Paula Dobriansky, U.S. State Department, Democracy and Global Affairs, all spoke about the important role of the United States in reducing poverty globally by accelerating the deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency measures.

The UN and partnerships like REEEP play a crucial role in facilitating energy justice. Dr. Kandeh Yumkella, Director-General, UNIDO, and Chair, UN Energy and Dr. Marianne Osterkorn, International Director of REEEP, highlighted their contributions in this regard.

“Energy justice can be achieved by directing foreign investment into renewable energy and energy efficiency projects in the developing world. Attracting investors, both foreign and domestic, public and private, requires supportive regulatory frameworks that minimize risk and utilize innovative finance tools – both of which are facilitated by our partnership,” stated Dr. Osterkorn.

For photos see our photo gallery

The Energy Globe Award has extended its deadline until 21.06.2008 for submitting projects. I would like to invite you to participate in the Energy Globe 2008 as I think it is a real great opportunity to promote good projects and create awareness for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency projects all around the world.

The Energy Globe Award is one of the most important environmental awards worldwide. The Award distinguishes projects that sustainably use our resources such as water, earth, energy and air or use renewable energy forms. This makes a significant contribution to climate and environment. Only if such harbinger projects are followed by many other projects can climate change be slowed.

The Energy Globe is awarded nationally and internationally in the categories earth, fire, water, air and youth. The first prize in each category of the international Energy Globe Award wins €10,000. Awards are made in a televised gala that is viewed worldwide.

See the Energy Globe Application site for further information and details on how to download the application form.

On 26 and 27 May 2008 the Energy Globe Award 2008 Gala and Conference took place in Brussels in Parliament’s plenary chamber. Projects from around the world promoting the use of clean and renewable energies competed in five different categories: Earth, Fire, Water, Air and Youth. The Energy Globes rewards local and regional projects that contribute to energy conservation, environmental protection, or the supply of basic resources such as water and electricity to remote and poor communities. 109 countries participated in the 2008.

The ceremony was hosted by actress Désirée Nosbusch. Guests included ex-UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, India’s former environment minister Maneka Gandhi and Indian film star Aamir Khan. The gala will included performances by singers Dionne Warwick, Zucchero and Alanis Morissette.

The winners of the Energy Globe Awards are:

• Mikhail Gorbachev received a lifetime achievement award in recognition of his work with the “Green Cross Foundation”.
• Energy Globe World Award: Austria (CO2 free transport logistic solution (Fronius))
• Category Earth: Peru (Sustainable solid waste management program)
• Category Fire: Spain (Andasol solar power plant projects)
• Category Air: Austria (Fronius demonstrates a CO₂-free transport logistic solution)
• Category Water: Mozambique (Helvatas ensures sustainable water supply)
• Category Youth: South Africa (Action-based program triggers lifestyle choices concerning climate change)

Below you can find some pictures from the TV-Gala:

On the second day the very well attended conference with speeches from Mr. Gorbachev, Mr. Kofi Annan, Ms. Ghandi, European Parliament President Hans Gert Pöttering and several other high level representatives took place. Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan’s key message was: Stop exploiting energy “as if there’s no tomorrow”. Pöttering stated that “More effective energy use is something we can easily achieve” and told the audience about the “20/20/20” programme of the EU (reduce greenhouse gases by at least 20% and increase to 20% the share of renewable energies in the energy consumption by 2020) He added that the twenty percent increase in energy efficiency, “is completely attainable (…) without a drop in well being or production”.

The next call for projects for the Energy Globe Award 2009 is taking place now and you can find more information on the REEEP Website