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Advancing Energy Efficiency at the 2012 Clean Energy Ministerial in London

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Date: Apr 27, 2012

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Author(s): 
Arlene Fetizanan

Photo credit: Department of Energy and Climate Change of the United Kingdom.

At the third Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM), April 25-26 in London, energy ministers collaborated with the United Nation’s Sustainability Energy for All initiative (SEFA) to accelerate progress on critical clean energy priorities. The commitments heralded at “CEM3” will help drive SEFA’s clean energy action agenda of ensuring universal access to energy, as well as doubling the improvement rate in energy efficiency and share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.

What is the Clean Energy Ministerial?

CEM is an international forum in which high-level officials discuss how to use technology, policies and programs to create a global economy based on clean energy. To create this clean energy economy – as well as enhance the supply of an access to clean energy – CEM supports increased energy efficiency worldwide. The forum was established in 2009 at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change conference of parties in Copenhagen.

CEM3 Boosts New Clean Energy Commitments

CEM aims to accomplish its goals with 11 initiatives on energy efficiency, energy supply and other areas of common interest to participating governments. At CEM3, participants reported major recent accomplishments and debuted several new partnerships, many of which focus on energy efficiency.

Accomplishments & New Partnerships

  • The Efficient Product Promotion Collaborative is a new public-private partnership by the Super-efficient Equipment and Appliance Deployment (SEAD) initiative and supported by the United States, India, and eight organizations including the Alliance to Save Energy to promote appliance efficiency programs such as a super-efficient fans program in India.
  • The U.S. Clean Energy Education & Empowerment (C3E) program named 20 distinguished senior professionals – including Alliance President Kateri Callahan – as “ambassadors” to support developing female leaders in the energy field.
  • The Global Sustainable Cities Network was launched by China, Denmark, Sweden and the United Arab Emirates. The network is a “platform for knowledge-sharing among pioneering urban sustainability programs, examining clean energy technology applications in urban contexts,” according to U.A.E. Special Envoy for Energy and Climate Change Sultan Al-Jaber.  The network will address energy waste and demand management in cities, adapting lessons from other CEM initiatives.
  • The 21st Century Power Partnership, backed by the International Smart Grid Action Network (ISGAN), aims to unlock large-scale demand side management and renewable energy electricity generation through smart grid technologies.  It will support national and sub-national efforts to deploy energy efficiency, central station renewables and clean distributed generation.
  • The Global Lighting and Energy Access Partnership (Global LEAP) intends to promote market-based delivery of low-cost, quality-assured solutions to consumers who lack modern energy options. In doing so, Global LEAP aims to avoid over five million tonnes per year of carbon emissions while saving rural consumers more than $1 billion per year.
  • The Clean Energy Solutions Center will receive up to $1 million over three years of in-kind support for no-cost technical advice from ClimateWorks Foundation.  The online portal has had 10,000 users from over 150 countries since it went live in 2011. Eleven countries, including the United States, are sustaining supporters.
  • The 2012 “Tracking Clean Energy Progress” [.pdf] report by the International Energy Agency provided insight on the deployment progress of energy-efficient and clean energy technologies in buildings, power generation, industry and transportation.  The report recommends implementing energy efficiency policies, enhancing energy efficiency standards and leveraging the role of energy providers in delivering energy efficiency.

Clean Energy Public-Private Roundtables

CEM featured eight public-private clean energy roundtables on carbon capture, electric vehicles, energy efficiency finance, large-scale efficiency programs, renewable energy finance, solar photovoltaics, super-efficient appliances and variable renewable integration.  Energy ministers, senior business executives, and other officials discussed policy and business challenges in these areas, as well as best practices and potential solutions.

At the super-efficient appliances roundtable led by SEAD, delegates discussed strategies to introduce new high-efficiency products to the market and grow their market share. Strategies for advancing energy efficiency included:

  • Effective labeling and information to teach consumers about energy and cost savings as well as other performance benefits;
  • Public-private collaborations with manufacturers, retailers and utilities; and
  • Opportunities for regional and international collaboration – beginning with improved harmonization of energy testing and rating methods.  

“This was a very impressive gathering of thought-leaders from government, industry and the NGO community,” said Alliance to Save Energy Senior Vice President Jeff Harris.  “The Alliance looks forward to continued engagement with SEAD and encouraging our Alliance Associate members to join us in supporting the Efficient Product Promotion Collaborative to carry forward many of these ideas,” Harris added.

CEM 2013 in India

India will host the next CEM (“CEM4”) in 2013 to continue to bring clean energy leaders from the world’s major economies and small countries together to promote policies and programs that advance clean energy technology. 

The 23 governments participating in CEM initiatives are Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, the European Commission, Finland, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Norway, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States.

More on the Clean Energy Ministerial