If there was one message shared by all six speakers at EE Global’s Closing Plenary Session, it was that the need as well as the opportunity to scale up energy efficiency has never been greater. International Energy Agency (IEA) Executive Director and EE Global International Steering Committee Chair Nobu Tanaka reminded all delegates, “Energy policy is the same as climate change policy”; it is essential that the two are bundled in order to revive flagging efficiency levels, which have dropped from 2 percent down to 0.08 percent in recent years, according to the IEA. Tanaka San stressed that efforts from both OECD and non-OECD countries are needed to combat code-red carbon emissions levels.
Speaking on behalf of the Honorable Jean-Louis Borloo, minister for Ecology and Sustainable Development Planning in France, a member of the minister’s staff reported that it is France’s every intention to align its energy and climate policies in a manner that complements the overarching goal of the European Union, as outlined in its 20-20-20 Plan. Corporations can help us, the delegate added: industry and manufacturing will have a role to play in all the policies we are leading.
Jean-Pierre Benque, senior executive vice-president of EDF North America said the utility is actively pursuing a carbon-cutting path through the matrix of challenges presented by electrical generation and production, both of which are sure to increase. “The peak load will remain generated by fossil fuels for a long time; so we have to shave the peak load,” said M. Benque.
In addition to the wealth of reports and studies that express the dire need to reduce carbon, there is also a good amount of research that affirms the positive benefits that energy efficiency can bring to various sectors.
One such report is Averting the Next Energy Crisis: The Demand Challenge by McKinsey Global institute, and as Jaana Remes, a senior fellow at the institute told EE Global delegates today, it is possible to increase our carbon productivity in a variety of low- and n-cost ways. The one with the most potential, however, is energy efficiency, which is why this one should be tackled first. “We need to create a policy environment that strongly encourages energy efficiency choices in households and businesses,” said Ms. Remes. Furthermore, we should also seize the opportunity to jump-start energy efficiency in emerging markets, where they are still putting technology in place in sectors such as the building sector.
Representing the Cambridge Energy Research Association (CERA) was Dr. Douglas Howe, senior director of global power. His organization’s latest report, Strategies for a Lean-Europe: Meeting the Energy Efficiency Challenge, asserts that it is simply not possible to achieve the goals of the European Union’s 20-20-20 Plan in the time allotted, and that a likelier time frame in which for such emissions reductions and energy savings to be realized is 2030. Nevertheless, countries should aim high and commit to the investment that such reductions require – some 500-700 billion euro by 2030, CERA estimates. Dr. Howe warned that a laissez-faire model won’t be able to aggressively push energy-efficient products in the marketplace; instead, policymakers should take strong action to ensure that inefficient products do not become imbedded in homes.
Taking up the point of buildings, Bjorn Stigson, president of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), explained the findings of the WBCSD’s latest report on energy efficiency in the buildings sector. Representing the largest source of emissions, this sector also presents the lowest cost and best near-term solution to the carbon emissions question, reports Mr. Stigson. It is also labor intensive, which means that scaling up energy efficiency in buildings will create jobs. And what do the buildings of the future look like? “Ideally, [they]…will use 70-80 percent less energy through a combination of passive and active design measures,” according to Mr. Stigson, who stressed the need for continued outreach, and public and private partnerships to realize the immense potential for emissions reductions latent in the buildings sector.
Good summing up but why this article cannot be printed if it is not classified! Other paers are available?