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Advancing Energy Efficiency in the World’s Electric Grids

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Date: Dec 07, 2010

cop16 logo
Author(s): 
Alex Straub
Tony Robson, Knauf Insulation
Policies are needed to support integrated technologies, said Tony Robson, Chair of the EASE board
of directors and Group CEO of Knauf Insultation.

Feature photo of the COP16 logo courtesy of cc2010.mx/en.

As part of the global climate talks at COP16, the Alliance, the European Alliance to Save Energy (EASE) and Alliance Associate Johnson Controls hosted an event that explored how countries can use energy efficiency to create smart electric grids. The event, “Opportunities for Advancing Energy Efficiency in Global Efforts to Create 21st Century Electric Grids,” took place on Dec. 3 in Cancun, Mexico.

Business and industry leaders discussed how to improve electric grid efficiency worldwide. These speakers analyzed effective products that countries are already using to save energy through efficient smart grids, but noted the challenge of deploying integrated technology across different sectors.

Integrating Technology and the Smart Grid

Technologies that reduce energy use in new and existing buildings are readily available worldwide but vastly underused, stressed the event's three panelists: EASE Board of Directors Chair and Knauf Insulation Group CEO Tony Robson, EASE Board Member and Siemens Industry President of Buildings Technologies Andreas Schierenbeck, and Danfoss North America President Robert Wilkins.

Robson, Scheirenbeck and Wilkins answered questions from the floor, noting that because buildings represent 40 percent of the world's energy use, the smart grid should support technologies that fully integrate buildings into the grid. The panelists said supportive government policies are the best way to accelerate the deployment and penetration of fully-integrated technologies.

Andreas Schierenbeck, Siemens
Smart electric grids have the potential for significant energy savings, said Andreas Schierenbeck, EASE board member and President of Buildings Technologies at Siemens Industry.

Other speakers delved deeper into energy efficiency's role in electric grids around the world:

  • Jake Jones, executive director of external affairs and public policy operations at Daimler, showcased how energy-efficient smart grids are necessary for the future of the electric vehicle industry. Highlighting charging options, Jones discussed Daimler's roadmap for future mobility, including the optimization of vehicles with modern combustion engines, greater efficiency using hybridization and petroleum-free driving with fuel cell and battery electric vehicles.
  • Clay Nesler, vice president for sustainability at Johnson Controls, discussed smart meter functionality in facilities. Countries are using smart meters in hundreds of ways, such as automatically signaling load reduction and predicting the hourly solar array output to determine real-time price forecasts. However, facilities have yet to integrate all of these capabilities, Nesler said.
  • Stephen Harper, global director of environment and policy of Intel Corporation, and Nick Milne-Home, president of 1E, noted that inaction is the reason that the smart grid is not fully operational or defined. Harper and Milne-Home said several sectors in the energy industry must work together to put existing efficient technologies to full use.
  • Jorge Wolpert, deputy director of sustainability of Mexico's National Housing Commission, discussed sustainable policies in the Mexican housing sector, including a mortgage and subsidy system for the low-income population. He also discussed a public policy instrument called Sustainable and Integral Urban Developments, which generates housing developments that support an urban planning standard, a green mortgage initiative, and zero-energy homes around the country.

For more information

For further coverage of the Alliance's presence at COP16, check out Local Projects Share Success Stories at COP16, as well as Alliance Promotes Energy Efficiency at Global Climate Talks. To learn more about the international climate talks in general, visit the COP16 website or check out the Alliance’s coverage of COP15 in 2009.

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