Final EE Global 2012 Sessions
On March 29, 2012, the final day of EE Global 2012 in Orlando, Fla., wrapped up eight invigorating executive dialogue sessions, ranging from the role of energy efficiency in the residential sector to policy solutions to reduce global energy use. After all 20 sessions were said and done, attendees had undergone what Alliance President Kateri Callahan referred to as a crash Master's course in energy efficiency.
Big Steps to a Smaller Footprint: Tackling EE Policy on a Global Scale
Amit Bando with the International Partnership for Energy Efficiency Corporation (IPEEC) moderated this panel on the ability of international organizations to overcome geo-political barriers to influence energy efficiency. Kenji Kobayashi of the Asia-Pacific Energy Research Centre (APEC) provided an overview of the programs APEC is implementing in order to promote energy efficiency and reduce C02 emissions, including various regional workshops focused on implementing best practices for building codes and labeling, appliance standards and transportation infrastructure. Dr. Peter du Pont of Nexant Asia discussed the prospects for scaling up energy efficiency in Asia while Guenter Hoermandinger of the EU Commission turned the focus to the European context, describing the EU’s 2020 energy-saving goals while also emphasizing the EU’s commitment to setting a framework for implementing energy efficiency polices for member countries to follow. International Energy Agency's Robert Tromop reiterated that energy efficiency is still a policy problem and that barriers must be overcome to demonstrate energy efficiency’s multiple benefits beyond energy savings.
Leveraging Technology to Increase Energy Efficiency
Recent technology trends are helping businesses improve their energy efficiency and bottom line, as expressed by President of Danfoss John Galyen, who highlighted how variable speed air conditioning technology can reduce energy consumption with a sophistication that allows for greater building integration capabilities. This win-win technology can save consumers 50 percent of energy costs with less than a 5-year payback period. Jonathan Jutsen, Executive Director at Energetics followed with an insightful glimpse of drivers for energy efficiency in Australia, where a new carbon policy requiring emissions disclosure is driving a market for energy-efficient buildings and spurring greater demand efficient technologies. On lighting, Vice President of Cree, Greg Merritt discussed how Cree is leading the LED lighting revolution and set the business case for LED technology, namely the potential to reduce U.S. energy needs for lighting by 46 percent. The technology is seeing greater application. For example, the City of Los Angeles is upgrading 140,000 street lights and will reach a cost savings of more than 55 percent. In the building sector, Clay Nesler, Vice President of Global Energy and Sustainability for Johnson Controls discussed how information technology can have a large impact in improving building efficiency. “You can’t manage what you don’t measure and analyze.” Metering technology such as the “Negawatt” meter can track energy saving and present opportunities for efficiency.
Inside the Minds of EE Funders & Investors
Tom Dreessen of Energy Efficiency Project Investment Company (EEPIC) moderated one of the last panels of the conference, looking at the motivations of funders and investors of energy efficiency projects. Patrick Doyle of the Inter-American Development Bank (ADB) spoke about overcoming similar barriers in Columbia and Brazil by creating performance and credit guarantee facilities for energy service companies. Sheree Eddie presented on Jax (Jacksonville, FL) Metro Credit Union's highly successful green lending program, which has been able to offer zero- or low-interest loans for residential or commercial energy efficiency retrofit or upgrade projects, paired with equipment rebates from the local energy utility. Carolyn Green of EnerGreen Capital Management provided a private equity fund's perspective on investing in late-stage energy or water conservation firms, highlighting the importance of strong community ties and that the investment value of energy and water efficiency projects should take into account the products and services utilized in addition to the energy savings generated. Larry Shirley, North Carolina's Director of the Development of the Green Economy, closed out the session by sharing how his state is combating high energy costs and climate/air quality concerns through their aggressive Utilities Savings Initiative, which reduced state facility energy costs by over $82 million over the last year.
