Resources
The 2016 edition of the EU Sustainable Energy Week was about empowering consumers. At the opening ceremony, Mr. Miguel Arias Cañete, the commissioner of climate and energy, made it clear that the energy transition is also about the active consumer engagement in the energy system. After centuries of relegating the energy consumer to a passive role, as simply a purchaser of (mostly) dirty energy sources, EU citizens will slowly move to a more active position by becoming energy producers: producers of energy savings and renewable energies.
Renovate Europe held a breakfast briefing, hosted by MEP Theresa Griffin, on the theme of energy renovation and consumers on 15th June in the European Parliament in the context of the upcoming review of key buildings-related legislation in the autumn.
Down load the press release
Contribution to panel discussion on Target setting for energy use and efficiency up to 2050
Moderator: Robert Harmsen, Utrecht University
Science Centre NEMO, Amsterdam
This workshop aims to provide participants with practical instruments and methodologies, which can support the acceleration of energy efficiency actions. The workshop is structured around four thematic blocks:
I used to think that Western democracies protect their citizens from “la pensée unique” (a narrow and single way of thinking). My concerns relate to the “consensus” in the “energy efficiency community” about how the “Better Regulation Package” would impact negatively existing EU climate and energy policies.
Globalisation, disruptive technologies, emerging business models and growing sustainability concerns are putting unprecedented pressure on European industry to adapt, while also representing a significant opportunity for all players.
European Climate Foundation, Brussels
In the traditional vision of the primary energy mix, the EU will be fuelled by 2030 first by oil and fossil fuels (oil, gas and coal) will meet 60% of the EU energy demand (based on PRIMES 2013 modelling results)
In the traditional vision of the primary energy mix, the world will be fuelled by 2040 first by oil and fossil fuels will meet 60% of the global primary energy demand even if policies and measures to keep global warming below the 2 degrees are effectively implemented (data used are those of the IEA WEO 2015 modelling results)
I have a dream that one day we will enter a new era, when negawatts make the headlines of energy summits, conferences and meetings.
A day when negawatts are sold across world markets, from Wall Street to the City, from Dubai to Hong Kong. A day when the amount of negawatts produced and sold decides a country’s membership in the World Trade Organisation.
When I was about to graduate, I had a job interview with one of the leading EU energy companies. The hiring manager was highly interested in my profile, but struggled on how an energy efficiency engineer could help his company increase profits. I realise now how audacious it was to imagine that a company who’s business was selling Megawatt would hire someone trained to sell Negawatts. Few years later I was totally demoralized: I had a climate-change denier as a line manager. Each report submitted for approval was scrutinized for the blasphemous words: “climate change”.
