Dear Colleagues We are fast approaching a federal election that is critical for action on climate and energy. Neither major party has yet proposed an energy productivity policy anywhere near sufficient to meet Australia’s needs - for economic competitiveness, to achieve even our current climate targets, or to ensure reliable and affordable energy services. A2EP has developed the National Energy Productivity Plan 2.0 to put Australia on track. NEPP 2.o proposes $1 billion cash investment plus tax incentives to deliver a comprehensive program for our future. We are urging all major parties to adopt this plan. One of the features of our plan is an innovation drive. We're working with the University of Technology Sydney and a
large number of collaborators to establish a national CRC (Cooperative Research Centre) on energy productivity, RACE for 2030. If Australia is to accelerate development and adoption of energy productivity technology and world best practices, we simply must establish this CRC. More detail here. We are urging businesses to join us in this effort. The CRC round has now been opened. Bids are due July 1. If you’re interested to partner, please contact Jonathan Jutsen (jonathan.jutsen@a2ep.org.au). In early April we presented our third Innovation X-Change, this time with a focus on the
customer-centred transformation of energy systems. It was a great day with great presentations. The program and presentations are available online here. We had about two hundred people come through. The day was partly about building interest in the CRC bid and workshopping priorities for research and engagement. The last session was a bit of an experiment, our Fish Tank. We asked half a dozen startups to give a five minute pitch to judges and the audience. Planet Ark Power won the vote. Halfway around world they also won at the Startup Energy Transition (SET) awards. The awards were part of
the 5th Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue presented by the German Energy Agency (dena) in cooperation with the World Energy Council. More here. One of our international speakers was Ned Harvey, Managing Director, Carbon War Room, Rocky Mountain Institute. He left us with an insightful briefing: Demand Flexibility - The Key to Enabling a Low-Cost, Low-Carbon Grid. Find it here. Another of our international speakers was Richard Adams, Director, Innovation & Entrepreneurship, National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Richard is an expat Australian. NREL and partners are exploring the impacts of electrification in the US economy. Perhaps unusually the work has begun with a focus on the demand side. More here All the best
Jon Jutsen, CEO, A2EP
In the news Climate and energy of concern to company directors
Members of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) rank climate change as the No. 1 long term and No.2 short term issue for federal government. Energy policy ranks as the No. 1 short term issue. More here. Hopefully the new government, of whichever flavour, tackles both issues. And, hopefully, in tandem. Australians may vote on climate
Meanwhile a survey by The Australia Institute finds that Australians more generally agree the nation is facing a “climate emergency”. Renew Economy commentary here. The TAI report is here. The critical role of buildings in energy transitions
Buildings account for about a third of total final energy consumption and energy-related emissions globally. They also have very long lifetimes that can impact energy and emissions for decades. But while they are often overlooked, they must play a critical role in the energy transitions.
A recent report from the IEA, Perspectives for the Clean Energy Transitions: The critical role of buildings, finds there is a risk of a serious lock-in of inefficient buildings as countries without mandatory codes are expected to see an explosion of building construction, half of which by the early 2030s.
It finds that the cost of inaction is high. Waiting another ten years to act on high-performance buildings construction and renovations, for instance, would result in more than 2 gigatonnes of additional CO2 emissions to 2050 while increasing global spending on heating and cooling by USD 2.5 trillion. EEGlobal - Washington DC, June 11-12 Double down
Presented by our sibling organisation the Alliance to Save Energy, the theme of this year’s EE Global Forum is Doubling Down on Energy Efficiency. On June 11-12, global energy efficiency leaders will convene in Washington, D.C., for discussions on how to “double down,” or become more tenacious, in implementing energy efficiency solutions to mitigate climate change and drive economic growth. The Alliance team has recently announced:
· 12 new speakers, including Joyce Henry, Director General, Office of Energy Efficiency, Natural Resources Canada; Jules Kortenhorst, CEO, Rocky Mountain Institute; Andrew McAllister, Commissioner, California Energy Commission; Sheila Watson, Deputy Director, FIA Foundation. View more.
· Five pre-conference workshops addressing workforce, building energy codes, cooling, industrial efficiency, and M&V. View more.
Queensland farmers continue to innovate - Diesel replacement
A pawpaw farm near Mareeba grows fruit which is packed for the national market. Irrigation is mostly by drippers to the pawpaw trees but there are plans to move to sprinklers in the future. The farm operates a single diesel pump for irrigation, these pump systems have been the focus of an energy efficiency audit. More here.
International Energy Agency: Energy snapshot
Natural gas overtook coal in 2018 to become the leading source of electricity in the OECD for the first time, accounting for 27.4% of the mix compared to 25.4% for coal. Meanwhile, the combined contribution of all renewable sources also tied natural gas last year, and was responsible for 27.4% of electricity generation, led by hydro, wind and solar. Learn more about what happened in the power sector in OECD countries last year in Key Electricity Trends 2018.
Forthcoming
ECEEE Summer Study, 03-08 June, Belambra Presquile de Giens, France More
EEGlobal, 11-12 June, Washington DC USA More
Better Buildings Summit 10-11 July, Arlington USA More
ACEEE Summer Study on Industry, 12-15 August, Portland USA More
Energy Efficiency Expo 23-24 October, Melbourne More
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