Earlier this month, the Copenhagen Centre on Energy Efficiency (C2E2) hosted a gathering of government, finance institutions, researchers and other experts to mobilize energy efficiency initiatives in both the public and private sectors. Entitled the Global Workshop to Accelerate Energy Efficiency: Challenges, Opportunities and Roadmaps, the event was held from November 9 to 12 at UN City in Copenhagen.
At the inaugural session, presentations were geared toward identifying and making use of “Global Energy Efficiency Accelerators” in various sectors, i.e., strategies for pumping up the dissemination of energy efficient technologies and methods. The workshop was divided into two parts. The first two days were filled with presentations on the benefits and potential of various energy-efficiency improvements, as well as related initiatives by private companies and financial institutions. International organizations such as International Energy Agency, UNEP, UNIDO, the Institute of Industrial Productivity, the SE4ALL Global Facility Team, as well as the World Resources Institute contributed to the sessions.
Several leading international companies also made presentations on the improved energy efficiency of their products, including Philips on lighting, Velux on roof windows, and Danfoss on efficient district energy. IKEA noted that it promotes energy-efficiency products to its over 800 million customers who visit its furniture stores each year worldwide.
Major international financial institutions also shared their initiatives and suggestions on how to overcome financial barriers and mobilize public and private investment for energy efficiency projects. The World Bank, International Financial Corporation, the newly established Green Climate Fund, the African Development Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank as well as the Danish Investment Fund for Developing Countries (IFU) all explained their energy efficiency financing mechanisms and insights.
The second part of the workshop was devoted to identifying twelve countries’ specific needs for international support. This part of the workshop started with expert presentations on how to prepare energy efficiency roadmaps and identify opportunities, barriers, and policy instruments for energy efficiency in key sectors. Energy officials and experts from Indonesia, Uganda, Dominican Republic and nine other countries explained their energy efficiency status, existing policies, gaps, and needs for further international support in terms of capacity building, study and analysis, and policy advising.
The workshop sessions were combined with field visits to energy efficiency projects. The Danish government’s State of Green agency gave participants a tour of energy efficiency solutions and technologies in and around Copenhagen. They also visited a district cooling station and two examples of energy efficient buildings: the Royal Danish Playhouse and UN City.