Today’s segment features remarks by Kateri Callahan, president of the Alliance to Save Energy; Jean-Pascal Tricoire, president and CEO of Schneider Electric; Claude Turmes, member of the European Parliament; and Lisa Raitt, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources and the member of Parliament for Halton, Ontario. The panelists discuss the energy efficiency policy strategies of the European Union, the United States and Canada.

As the event organizer and host, the Alliance would like to thank the 600 exhibitors, speakers, media and attendees from over 30 countries who joined us in Paris for three days of historic dialogue.

We are also grateful to our sponsors, supporters, speakers, Alliance board members, Associates and staff who contributed to this event: much of EE Global’s success was due to their active support and participation.

Please email  April Ferrari at aferrari@ase.org if you have any questions about EE Global. In the meantime, set your sites on EE Global 2010, taking place in Washington, DC!

With the Obama administration focusing on addressing some of the low-hanging fruit like conservation and energy efficiency to tackle our energy and climate challenges, energy efficiency has become a key issue in policy discussions in the United States. E&ETV traveled to Paris for the annual Energy Efficiency Global Forum and Exposition, hosted by the Alliance to Save Energy, for a series of interviews and panel discussions about the challenges to, and potential of, energy efficiency.

Today’s segment features E&ETV’s interview with Björn Stigson, president of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. Stigson explains how government and industry can work together to expand and promote energy efficiency. He also discusses the prospects for climate legislation in the United States.

With the Obama administration focusing on addressing some of the low-hanging fruit like conservation and energy efficiency to tackle our energy and climate challenges, energy efficiency has become a key issue in policy discussions in the United States.

E&ETV traveled to Paris for the annual Energy Efficiency Global Forum and Exposition, hosted by the Alliance to Save Energy, for a series of interviews and panel discussions about the challenges to and potential of energy efficiency. Today’s segment features E&ETV’s interview with California Public Utilities Commissioner Dian Grueneich. Grueneich discusses the potential for energy efficiency to help solve the United States’ climate and energy challenges. She also gives her take on the push to create a national energy efficiency standard.

Receiving these inaugural EE Visionary Awards were National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC); California Public Utilities Commissioner Dian Grueneich, and European Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs. Said Schneider Executive VP of Strategy, Customers and Technology Eric Pilaud in his welcome address, “I am pleased to see such high-level representation of the energy efficiency community at this important event.”

Plenary Speech: Fiona Harvey
Keynoting the luncheon was Financial Times Energy Correspondent Fiona Harvey. Renowned for her keen analysis of energy and environmental issues, Ms. Harvey cited the dangerously weak attitudes toward climate change that were revealed in a recent survey of U.K. businesses: in fact, few rated the environment among their top corporate priorities, while most said they were skeptical government and EU targets on CO2.

“This is s serious issue,” stressed Ms. Harvey. “As businesses are losing interest and people are losing interest the problem of climate change is getting worse and worse.”

Yet there is hope: both business and consumers alike say they are interested in energy efficiency – this despite its rather unglamorous image. However, their follow-though on energy efficiency initiatives and purchases is often lacking.

Ms. Harvey proposed that in order to enliven the image of energy efficiency, advocates everywhere should make people aware of its ‘story’. This is something they can do by translating the benefits of energy efficiency – kilowatt hours saved, CO2 emissions avoided – into something people can understand, like people and jobs and productivity.

The second point Ms. Harvey made to this mostly corporate crowd was that even though no- and low-cost adjustments can achieve energy savings, companies should know and admit that in order to realize energy efficiency’s real potential, they will simply have to invest. “It’s not completely free,” Ms. Harvey reminded the audience. “It’s not just a matter of changing habits; it’s also a matter of changing infrastructure, and companies need to know that.”

Finally, lawmakers need not shy away from regulation as they write efficiency into legislation, and it is imperative that the savings potential of energy efficiency be realized sooner than later, said Ms. Harvey. And indeed, in a sector as energy-intensive as buildings, regulation is the only way to ensure that immediate and effective steps are taken to avoid built-in inefficiencies that last for decades.

EE Visionary Awards
Accepting the afternoon’s first award was the NDRC, a powerful macroeconomic management agency under the Chinese State Council, which has broad administrative and planning control over the Chinese economy.

NDRC formulates policies for economic and social development, maintains the balance of economic development, and guides restructuring of China’s economic system – no easy task in a country of 1.3 billion people, with an annual economic growth rate of nearly 10 percent over the last decade and an appetite for instant energy that is yielding two new coal-fired power plants a week.

Not only has the NDRC closely examined the accountability of directives passed to achieve national emissions reductions; it has also brought in other stakeholders to talk about energy-efficient design, opportunities for emissions reductions, strategies for integrating additional stakeholders outside the national and provincial structure and ways to develop the country’s “intellectual capital” so that future generations can excel in the green work force of tomorrow.

A member of the Chinese embassy accepted on behalf the group, saying that, “The Chinese government attaches great importance to energy conservation and energy efficiency. Conservation is a fundamental practice of our national practice.”

The second EE Visionary Award was bestowed to Commissioner Dian M. Grueneich for her work in creating and implementing a trailblazing strategic plan for energy efficiency in California. Commissioner Grueneich led her team in a year-long effort that brought together over 500 individuals and organizations across the state and nationally and from both public and private sectors to participate in workshops, meetings and conference calls. The information was then synthesized and reflected by the utilities in the drafting of the strategic plan, which positions energy efficiency as California’s highest priority resource in meeting the state’s energy needs. In addition, this report serves as the framework for making energy efficiency a way of life for all sectors in California, while also showing how the state will use energy efficiency to grow its economy and meet its global warming goals.

“I am accepting this award on behalf of the entire energy efficiency community, especially the energy efficiency community in California, which has shown the world that you can have a strong vibrant economy and be efficient at the same.”

The third EE Visionary Award was given to European Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs. An early advocate of energy efficiency, Commissioner Piebalgs helped the European Commission develop a sound energy policy founded upon this quickest, cheapest and cleanest of fuels.

His first policy document, “Energy Efficiency: Doing More with Less”, introduced the concept of energy efficiency into the energy discussion, making it a “fuel for all seasons”. The Commissioner built an energy policy that focused on three goals: competitiveness, sustainability and security. Energy efficiency, he argued, is the only resource that serves all three simultaneously.

The Commissioner has reinforced this concept throughout his career. His second strategic plan released in November 2008 addressed the perennial issue of energy security; to this point, the Commissioner made the case that energy efficiency is essential to any nation seeking energy independence.

Most recently, Commissioner Piebalgs oversaw creation of the European Commission’s 20-20-20 Plan, which is a synergy of energy efficiency and renewable energy that has swiftly become the benchmark by which all member countries can gauge their short- and long-term plans.

Said Commissioner Piebalgs, “Climate change is will only be mastered through energy efficiency. With all due respect to my policies on renewables and nuclear – well, it is really energy efficiency that can do it.”

Technological Innovation is the Key Lever to Combating Climate Change

Mitigating climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time. Therefore, Siemens appreciates the EE Global platform to share our knowledge and learn from other industry and government leaders in order to combine our efforts to bring climate change under control.

Worldwide energy consumption is expected to nearly double by 2025. The result is constant rising energy prices, and the need for more efficient power generation, transportation, distribution, consumption and energy saving strategies.

Energy efficiency solutions for buildings provide some of the fastest and most cost-effective ways to address high energy prices, increasing demand and climate change. For decades, Siemens innovative building technologies and solutions have helped to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions for hospitals, hotels, office buildings, schools, public facilities and multi-unit housing complexes.

In addition to our industry-leading building technologies, our targeted modernization and optimization solutions can achieve significant energy savings during the operational phase of a building. And our performance contracting offerings provide guaranteed savings to help finance the original investments.

Many actions to reduce energy consumption in a building will reduce CO2 emissions. In older existing buildings energy consumption can be reduced by replacing old incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs, replacing older ballasts for fluorescent tubes with the latest electronic versions, replacing old and inefficient heaters or boilers with new energy efficient models, installation of a new building automation system, or optimizing the operational efficiency of building equipment by re-commissioning an older building management system, even heat recovery systems where some of the heat from the outgoing exhaust airflow can be exchanged to reduce use of energy to heat the building.

For example, as part of an energy savings performance contracting project, we modernized the building technologies at the University of the Arts in Berlin. The result is energy savings of almost five megawatt-hours and a reduction of one ton of CO2 emissions. Siemens Building Technologies Division has completed more than 1,500 energy efficiency projects worldwide over the past ten years and helped customers achieve close to EUR 2 billion in energy savings. That is the equivalent reduction of 1.2 million tones of CO2 or 6 billion kilometers driven.

Next innovating step: Buildings will active participate in the grid

Today our building management solutions and services are ready to communicate with the Smart Grid, help improve forecasting and reduce energy costs, and enable optimized building performance through optimal scheduling of power generation and loads in buildings – all while maximizing occupant comfort ans safety, reducing operational costs

These Win-Win situations for building operators and utilities will reduced energy costs for building operators, increased network performance for utilities, enable easy integration of distributed generation and optimal usage of renewable energy.

Siemens is the only company worldwide to offer an integrated range of products and services from power generation and distribution to transformation and consumption.

Regardless of the economic conditions, we believe customers and the general public continue to be concerned about the environment and climate change. And in general, many businesses will weigh the economics of doing a green or energy efficiency project with the return on their investment euros. But there are also many corporations committed to doing whatever is necessary to minimize their carbon footprint, reduce energy consumption, and lessen the impact to the environment. And we are convinced: today’s available technical solutions for buildings can contribute significantly in helping solve the climate challenges.

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.

]]> http://eeglobalforum.org/09/updates/2009/04/29/closing-plenary/feed/ 1 http://eeglobalforum.org/09/updates/2009/04/29/wednesday-eds/ http://eeglobalforum.org/09/updates/2009/04/29/wednesday-eds/#comments Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:12:01 +0000 Jane Teeling http://eeglobalforum.org/updates/?p=376 4A – Are Carbon-Neutral Buildings a Goal for Today or the Future?

“Buildings usually don’t achieve their designated potential, and we have to change our practices to ensure continued monitoring and adjustment as needed.” – Robin Snyder, Program Manager, Building Codes Assistance Project at the Alliance to Save Energy

5C – Cross-sector Finance: Financing the Future – the Role of Creative Structures

“How to commoditize and bundle energy efficiency and this be able to access carbon markets – that’s what both banks and energy finance groups look for” – Rapporteur Anke Sofia Meyer, Senior Consultant, ESMAP-Energy, Transport and Water Department, World Bank

“54 percent of carbon reductions are expected to come from energy efficiency…To succeed there needs to be to be true recognition of the barriers and transaction costs.” – Tom Dreessen, President & CEO, EPS Capital

The Challenge We Face Today

Our planet is facing a challenge best described by this simple equation:

o As more and more people must have access to energy, total world energy consumption will double by 2050 in order to sustain growth in both developing countries and mature economies.

o At the same time, CO2 emissions must be reduced by a factor of two, as decreed in the Kyoto Protocol.

Residential, commercial, industrial buildings and industrial processes – the main markets of Schneider Electric – contribute to almost half (44%) of CO2 emissions, almost three times more than transportation sector (17.5%).

How to tackle the challenge

Developing renewable energies is a must, but these will have limited impact in the short term. Today renewable energy represents a few percent of the total generation, and even a fast penetration of these sources would not be enough to meet the targets set by the Kyoto Protocol.

It is therefore important to immediately remove all hurdles for implementation of renewable energies by complementing these energies with ambitious energy efficiency initiatives.

Ambitious energy efficiency initiatives are feasible now: in most existing installations, we can achieve up to 30% energy savings by using technologies we already possess. Local energy efficiency initiatives offer important leverage to tackle issues such as the loss of energy in the transmission and distribution of electricity: consider that 1KWh of energy used in a building requires 3KWh of energy to produce.

How can we achieve significant gains in energy efficiency?

Both passive and active energy efficiency actions are needed to optimize energy efficiency. Passive energy efficiency actions account about for 1/3 to 1/2 of the potential savings, while active energy efficiency actions account for somewhere between 1/2 to 2/3 of potential savings.

Passive energy efficiency directs us to improve the intrinsic efficiency of the installation, such as using more efficient insulation materials and low-consumption bulbs.

Active energy efficiency directs us to proactively optimize the use of the energy. This can be done by maintaining a constant temperature in buildings, or by shutting down an installation when it is no longer in use. Another means by which active energy efficiency actions are employed is seen when adjustments are made to the evolution of the installation, taking into consideration factors such as aging, usage and location of the installation through a permanent improvement approach.

It has been proven that relying on human behavior to efficiently implement active energy efficiency is not effective: after few weeks of savings inspired by initial goodwill, actions cease and the savings are lost. It follows that the only way to achieve sustainable energy savings is to implement automation and supervision systems that measure, drive, control and analyze the energy usage of an installation.

Schneider Electric’s contribution

In order to accomplish its goal of accelerating the penetration of renewable energies by enabling their innovative, simple and efficient connection and installation solutions, Schneider champions energy efficiency in buildings, infrastructures and industrial processes. The company focuses on audit consulting capabilities, which provide customers with comprehensive energy efficiency plans comprised of passive and active energy efficiency actions; as well as a broad range of measurement, control and supervision systems for buildings, industrial processes and infrastructure. These provide power factor correction, harmonic filters’ power meters; building management systems; energy management systems; critical power and cooling systems; motor control systems; lighting control systems; and home control systems.

“Building labeling for ALL buildings creates healthy competition for the building industry”. speaker Alexandre Fernandes, Director General, Portuguese Energy Agency (ADENE); wrap-up session 6A

2D – Consumers & End-Use: Best Practices in Public Education and Outreach

“In the fight against climate change and the pursuit of energy efficiency, public education will play a pivotal role in making sure good instincts and goals become a reality. The panel gathered some of the top minds and practioners in this area and their presentations were highly inspirational in this regard” – Rapporteur Marie-Vincente Pasdeloup, International Communications Consulting; wrap-up session 6D

3A – Buildings: Energy Efficiency and Renewables: Competing or Complementary Technologies?

“Renewable energy and energy efficiency are natural complements. New policies and business models, for example energy performance service contracts, can leverage these to greatest effect.” Rapporteur Jim McMahon, Head, Energy Analysis Department, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; wrap-up session 6A