Side-Events

Severe global energy supply issues have kept the world in suspense since the first half of 2021. While droughts in various parts of the world has led to significantly reduced hydropower energy production, delayed maintenance work and investment backlog throughout the pandemic was followed by an economic rebound. The Russian invasion in Ukraine may now have turned this conglomerate of global challenges into the first true Global Energy Crisis. In response, awareness of the urgency to secure energy supplies through the accelerated deployment of renewable energy sources has risen worldwide. Like the spurred advances in energy efficiency in the aftermath of the 1970s oil shock, the current energy crisis has led to a reappraisal of current energy policies, not only to achieve the ambitious decarbonization goals, but also to secure higher levels of energy independence. 2022 may well go down in the history books as a tipping point for the global Energy Transition. Individual as well as multilateral efforts however are mandatory, to act now and make this point in history a pivotal moment for a worldwide ambitious and coordinated endeavour towards a future with clean and secure energy.

Progressing climate change and the Russian invasion of Ukraine have plunged the world into the first truly global energy crisis. Even more than before, it has become clear that accelerating the global energy transition through decarbonization and expansion of renewable-energy capacities is the solution to both halve GHG emissions by 2030 and to alleviate the current energy crisis. Concomitantly, accelerating the renewable-energy rollout holds tremendous opportunities for profitable investments, job creation, environmental protection, public health, and economic growth.

The chances are manifold and we want to act, but how can ambitions be translated into action? The session discusses several key levers to globally accelerate and sustain the energy transition: Decarbonizing industry, electrifying sectors, allocating space for renewable-energy production, harnessing supply chains, designing a sustainable industrial strategy, providing adequate financing, and extending transnational infrastructure (electricity grids, green-hydrogen pipelines and shipping routes). In addition, the relative importance of increasing energy efficiency will be discussed.

Throughout the session, speakers will debate the role of international cooperation: Which institutions, multilateral or bilateral, most effectively enable the key levers of global energy transition? Are existing initiatives, such as the Just Energy Transition Partnerships (JETPs) or the G7 – Climate Club, the right instruments to translate ambition into action?

2022 has been a year of multiple challenges regarding not only, but in particular the topic of energy supply and energy security. At the same time, it is becoming increasingly clear that there is a need for speed in implementing the energy transition in order to achieve the climate targets. This session will discuss how energy security and at the same time the energy transition towards a climate-neutral supply of electricity, heating and cooling can be achieved.

The times when the off-grid sector mainly had small household solutions to offer, e.g. for light generation, are over. Today, the off-grid sector is incredibly diverse. Between household and productive use, applications can include water supply, cooling, industrial processing, (covid) vaccination centres, and much more. However, at the institutional level, the opportunities of off-grid solutions for rural electrification are often rather underestimated, while financial risks tend to be overvalued.

Meanwhile, solutions are increasingly being conceived as joint initiatives. The advantages of sector coupling are obvious: the different players can complement each other’s energy loads, counterbalance one another’s risk profiles towards investors, and create ecosystems with a higher level of economic activity and jobs. Can this trend give the off-grid sector the boost it needs to make the necessary energy access possible for the many? And how can it be given active support?

In this session, practitioners will share their experiences from an implementation perspective and explore meaningful ways forward for the sector with decision makers.

Ambitious targets are important but matter little unless they go hand in hand with ambitious policies and accelerated implementation. During COP27 António Guterres framed it like this: “We urgently need every business, investor, city, state and region to walk the talk on their net zero promises. We cannot afford slow movers, fake movers or any form of greenwashing.”

80 % of the world’s wealth is generated in cities, which account for 70 % of CO2 emissions. As the global population will increase to urbanize, these figures are likely to grow. Session E2 is focused on net-zero pledges from cities and how national governments can support the cities in achieving their goals. The UN has put together a High-level Expert Group on the Net Zero Emissions Commitments of Non-State Entities, which presented their report at COP27. They have produced a list of five principles and ten recommendations for non-state actors, including cities. Going more into detail, the World Economic Forum and Accenture have developed the City Sprint Process with a detailed toolbox of more than 300 different tried and tested measures, that are designed to guide cities to a carbon neutral future, including technology applications, policy measures, financing models and community engagement programs. These programs are complemented by the “Summary for Urban Policymakers of the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report” which was also presented at COP27.

Due to population density and exposure to climate change, many cities, especially in the global south, are under a lot of pressure to create a future that is sustainable and resilient. Inviting the leadership of a city in the global south, E2 will raise awareness for challenges not comparable to those in the global north. During the G20 Summit in November 2022, the “Just Energy Transition Partnership” with Indonesia was launched – based on the already existing partnership with South Africa – and JETPs with several other countries will follow. As national collaborative programs, how can JETPs benefit the decarbonization of cities, especially as they focus on social groups that are most vulnerable to climate change? The panel will focus on how cities can learn from one another, how social participation can be granted and how national governments can accelerate the path to urban net-zero carbon goals.

Every country, every region of the world has its own requirements in terms of geography, infrastructure, demand, geology, solar radiation, wind and biomass, the possibility of hydroelectric power, etc. and last but not least, very different conditions as far as its workforce is concerned.
In times of global energy crisis, it is more important than ever to massively accelerate the phase-out of fossil fuels and the phase-in of RES. This must happen faster on the one hand, and on the other hand through a significant quantitative expansion. From ever-larger renewable power plants to thousands of decentralized private generation facilities, there are many paths to more renewables.

Urban areas are at the heart of the energy transition; they “can be the problem or cities can be the solution” (Andrew Steer, former CEO, World Resources Institute). By 2030, over 5 billion people will live in urban areas, leading to an ever-increasing demand for energy in cities. A sustainable approach to urban planning has a positive impact on communities by preventing urban sprawl and improving urban infrastructure and mobility (non-motorized or electrified). E3 will discuss how phasing out fossil fuels will affect urban areas, including urban industry, how to reduce the energy intensity of these industries and how to support the shift to renewable energies. Closely connected to urban areas are ports and the maritime industry. The shipping sector accounts for 2.9 % of global CO₂ emissions and the total emissions are projected to grow rapidly. Governments of all levels need to find ways to build sustainable metropolitan areas including urban and maritime industry. What strategies and technologies can be used to drive the energy transition on land and on sea and how can governments on all levels work together in creating the right frameworks for a post-fossil future?

In both Africa and Europe, the rollout of renewable energy is progressing, although the way to carbon neutrality is still a long one. In this common struggle to accelerate the energy transition, fields of mutually beneficial cooperation are emerging: Africa has the world’s highest potential of renewable energy sources, but it needs to raise investment into renewable-energy infrastructure and industry. Europe has advanced significantly in the energy transition, but it has to find ways to satisfy its energy demand completely from renewable sources and to decarbonize its complex industrial sector. Channelling European investment into the African renewable-energy sector, while gearing up supply of renewable PtX-products from Africa to Europe could solve both challenges.

At the same time, raising green investment and establishing trade in renewable PtX-products would accelerate local energy transitions, foster sustainable growth, multiply jobs, and create socio-economic opportunities for the populations on both continents. The potential benefits are mutual: Africa can profit from its abundant renewable resources for energy- and PtX-production, while accelerating local industrialization by attracting energy-intensive industry. Europe can close its domestic-production gap in PtX-products needed for its industrial and transport sectors by relying on long-term partnerships with African countries.

However, despite these promising potentials, there is a risk that African-European cooperation becomes onesided – with unidirectional input-output relations running from Europe to Africa. How can we avoid these imbalances? What can Africa offer to Europe apart from supplying renewable energy and purchasing from European companies? The session will delineate and discuss in which fields of renewable energy African countries have in fact accumulated more know-how than their European partners (e.g. in decentralised energy production and micro grids) – innovation and practical experience that might help Europe to make its own energy transition more resilient.

Finally, the question remains what is necessary on the political level to make African-European cooperation effective. Adding to bilateral approaches (such as the German energy partnerships), a number of G7-states have joint forces to launch an ambitious Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) with South Africa, further ones are on the agenda. The latter part of the session thus debates which kind of international institutions are the most useful frame for African-European cooperation.

The effects of human-made climate change are a major issue for scientists, researchers and policy-makers alike. While there exists rather broad consensus that climate change is indeed happening and that the transition to renewable energy is needed, significant controversy over the extent of the consequences of climate change and adequate policy-responses persists. The cost of inaction regarding climate change will be borne by young people as they will suffer the consequences of the climate crisis. Especially in countries that are especially vulnerable to climate change, there is a youth bulge.

But children and youth are determined not to simply be victims of climate change and have discovered their massive potential to hold decision-makers accountable. Namely at COP27, young activists sided with countries of the Global South calling for Loss and Damage Finance, social & climate justice, more inclusion of communities in policy design and upholding the 1.5° limit.

The question about intergenerational solidarity and justice is an important topic to be discussed when talking about the global energy transition. Are there distributional impacts of the energy transition? How can we make this transition fast, but still smooth to vulnerable communities? Who needs to be at the table, when policy decisions are made? What is the responsibility of emitting countries and older generations?

This session is designed as a Front Row Participants Event. In the course of the session up to three speakers will stay on stage, while every 30 minutes the remaining 3-4 speakers will change. The change of the speakers will also introduce a new aspect in the discussion.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are highly interlinked and influence each other, to reach them intersectional approaches are needed. In regard to SDG7 (affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all) many dimensions need to be taken into account to achieve this goal. In turn, SDG7 influences other goals from job creation to economic development, from security concerns to the full empowerment of women.

Women, as individuals and as core of their communities, constitute half of the end consumers of energy and are more severely impacted by climate change and the lack of clean energy access, but are largely left out of the equation when designing energy solutions and infrastructure. Therefore, energy solutions often don’t fit the needs and the local circumstances of communities. However, women are a key driver for the achievement of SDG7, participation of women and communities in the design of energy systems is needed in order to achieve 100% affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.

What we need is to involve women and communities in the processes and to apply a gender lens to the design of energy systems and international cooperation – namely feminist foreign policy & feminist energy policy.

The energy transition has picked up speed in many countries around the globe. However, while economies-of-scale have brought prices of hardware and components down, a bottleneck has developed on the labour market. In many places, the transformation of the energy system is progressing at slower speed due to a shortage of specialised workers and engineers – people who put the energy transition on the ground by building up the energy infrastructure. The session addresses this labour bottleneck and discusses its manifestations in a range of countries. It looks at possible solutions, including policies to step up training, retraining and attracting expat labour. The latter part of the session puts the country focus on fossil-fuel producers that pursue structural change by reorienting their workforce into renewable energies. Throughout the session, the question is how we can solve the specialised-labour problem globally, without falling back into international rivalry for attracting the best hands and minds.

Hydrogen plays a crucial role in decarbonising industry and reaching carbon neutrality by the middle of the century. Yet, making green hydrogen available and globally competitive by 2030 requires an enormous increase in investment, along with establishing the necessary supply chains. In recent years, countries around the globe have announced ambitious hydrogen strategies and investments, and it is time to assess what has actually been achieved so far with regards to building up the global green hydrogen economy. At the same time, apart from making green hydrogen cost-competitive, it must be ensured that the rapid build-up of the global green hydrogen economy factors in the sustainable and socio-economic development of hydrogen exporting countries in the Global South, creating a win-win situation both for hydrogen exporting and hydrogen importing countries.

This session focuses on the success stories and remaining challenges in the current formation of the global green hydrogen economy. It examines the impact of finance and policy instruments, while also addressing the opportunities and challenges for the socio-economic development of hydrogen exporting countries in the Global South.

Heating and cooling for residential, commercial and industrial purposes accounts for half of energy consumption worldwide. In industrial processes in particular, there is considerable untapped and widely overlooked potential for replacing fossil fuels with renewable energies. The current crisis in energy security and the sharp rise in energy prices could massively accelerate the changeover if the framework conditions were right. Renewable heating and cooling are in greater demand than ever for hotels, breweries, the food industry and many more, because they offer security of supply as well as climate protection. Integrated systems with different heat generators and storage units can provide customized solutions for specific applications.

This session aims to discuss challenges and opportunities of the energy transition in heating and cooling, with a special focus on industrial processes.

Achieving net-zero until 2050 requires a re-design of the entire energy system. Massively scaling-up the capacities for renewable energy generation and building-up a global hydrogen economy will also lead to a significant increase in demand for many important raw materials needed for the production of solar panels, wind turbines and batteries. It is estimated that getting to net-zero will require a six-fold increase in mineral input by 2040, with demand for key metals growing more than 20-fold. Therefore, it must be ensured that the materials and resources needed for the energy transition are used in an efficient and sustainable manner and cycled back into the economy. At the same time, integrating circularity into the energy transition can help facilitate a just transition and enhance the energy security of resource-scarce regions around the globe.

This session will address the main challenges and opportunities for matching the circular economy with the clean energy transition. It will be discussed how creating a circular energy transition can both enable a just transition and enhance the energy security of resource-scarce countries. The speakers of the panel will debate policy instruments and technologies that can support the creation of a global circular economy in the clean energy industry.

Climate Tech Start-ups and their role in the Energy Transition. Start-ups and innovation are playing a crucial role in our net zero future. That is why the Start-up Energy Transition Global Innovation Platform wants to give a voice to the innovators of tomorrow to ensure that, firstly, decision makers place energy innovation at the top of their agendas and secondly, that industry leaders employ innovation as the clear path to their decarbonisation goals.

Get to Know the winners of this year’s SET Award and find out what role they play in the energy transition with their start-up. What role do start-ups play in times of crisis?