Delivering Solutions for a Net-Zero Economy
The Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE) – a coalition of companies and associations from the energy efficiency, natural gas and renewable energy sectors – joins the 27th Conference of the Parties (COP 27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt to bring private sector solutions to address the global challenge of climate change mitigation and adaptation.
At COP 27, BCSE will call for:
- Broader, faster deployment of the existing portfolio of clean energy and energy efficiency technologies and enactment of policies that enable the energy transition.
- Making better investments in our infrastructure, communities and economies that reduce emissions, create new jobs, and strengthen resilience.
- Greater public-private partnership on climate action, energy security and adaptation.
Schedule of Events
UNFCCC Exhibit
This exhibit will showcase the portfolio of existing clean energy and energy efficiency solutions that deliver both mitigation and adaptation benefits, case studies of success, and opportunities for public-private partnerships.
November 7 – 12, 2022
Hosted by
Business Council for Sustainable Energy, Plant Based Products Council, and Environment and Energy Study Institute
Venue
Blue Zone Area B, #14
To Attend
Blue zone badge required to attend in-person
BCSE Press Conference
BCSE held a press conference Monday morning to answer media questions about goals for public-private partnerships at COP 27. BCSE President Lisa Jacobson – who was joined by business leaders representing Johnson Controls, CarbonQuest, and the Environmental and Energy Studies Institute – emphasized BCSE’s goal of enacting broader, faster deployment of the existing portfolio of clean energy and energy efficiency technologies and enactment of policies that enable the energy transition.
Renae Kezar, Vice President, Corporate Sustainability and Regulatory Affairs, Johnson Controls highlighted the use of digital technology in building decarbonization strategies. “Integrating building operations with digital systems is the key to rapidly reach decarbonization goals, from early design to current performance and enabled for the future of connected buildings and infrastructure,” she said.
Anna Pavlova, VP, Strategy & Market Development, CarbonQuest stressed the importance of speeding up the deployment rate of climate solutions. She noted that climate technology will always be changing, so policy solutions must focus on what can be done now.
Daniel Bresette, Executive Director, Environmental and Energy Studies Institute highlighted recent U.S. climate policy achievements – including the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act – but acknowledged that “it remains critical for Congress to continue to provide the investments and policies needed to for the U.S. to meet our Paris Agreement goals.”
November 7, 2022
9:00 – 9:30 EET
Hosted by
Business Council for Sustainable Energy
Venue
Press Conference Room – Luxor (Area B)
To Attend
Blue zone badge required to attend in-person, watch the recording here.
Long Duration Energy Storage: The Real Key to Integrating Clean Energy and Reaching Net Zero
Long duration energy storage is defined as energy stored for multiple hours, days or even weeks. Hear from top corporate executives that are providing technologies and services in this growing sector of the energy transition. Learn about the variety of new and emerging technology options and the essential role that long duration storage will play to fully capture and support renewable energy resources. The event will also feature highlights from the new Report on Storage and Net Zero Achievement that will be released at COP 27.
Speakers:
• Dan Delurey, Senior Fellow for Climate & Energy, Vermont Law School
• Julia Souder, Executive Director, Long Duration Energy Storage Council
• Eric Dresselhuys, CEO, ESS Energy Storage Systems
• Frank Wouter, Senior Vice President, Reliance Industries
November 8, 2022
15:00 – 16:00 EET
Hosted by
Business Council for Sustainable Energy and Long Duration Energy Storage Council
Venue
The Climate Registry (TCR): Pathways to 1.5C Pavilion, Area C, Delegation Pavilion 5, P.135
To Attend
Blue zone badge required to attend in-person. Register here to watch the livestream and a recording to be posted on the TCR Pavilion website.
Unusual Suspects: Innovative Technology Opportunities for City Decarbonization
This panel will explore how technologies such as carbon capture and local circular economy, energy storage, fuel cells, hydrogen and more can help decarbonize our urban infrastructure. With smart investments, policy and deployment of these solution – we can increase the resilience of critical institutions in the urban environment, such as government buildings, hospitals and schools. We can start at the city level to contribute to the scale of emissions reductions that are needed to meet our 2050 net-zero goals. Join us for the discussion on how an innovative and broad portfolio of technology solutions, as well as strategic public-private partnerships, will be at the heart of a successful urban decarbonization strategy.
Speakers:
- Lisa Jacobson, President, Business Council for Sustainable Energy
- Anna Pavlova, Vice President, Strategy & Marketing Development, CarbonQuest
- Heather Reams, President, Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES) Forum
November 9, 2022
10:30 – 11:30 EET
Hosted by
Business Council for Sustainable Energy
Venue
The Climate Registry (TCR): Pathways to 1.5C Pavilion, Area C, Delegation Pavilion 5, P.135
To Attend
Blue zone badge required to attend in-person. Register here to watch the livestream and a recording to be posted on the TCR Pavilion website.
Powering Forward to Address Climate Risk, Build Resilience
Making climate-smart investments into critical infrastructure, including energy systems, technologies, supply chains, the built environment, is a “win-win” proposition. Hear from global companies that are forging ahead to deploy solutions and create a competitive advantage for customers. Explore how public policy can leverage these actions for maximum climate gains.
Moderator: Lisa Jacobson, President, BCSE
Speakers:
- Renae Kezar, Vice President, Corporate Sustainability and Regulatory Affairs, Johnson Controls
- Daniel Schmid, Chief Sustainability Officer, SAP SE
- Michael Lotfy, Senior Vice President Power Products NAM Hub, Power Products Division, Energy Management Business, Schneider Electric
- Julia Maris, Vice President, Corporate & Social Responsibility, Engie
November 9, 2022
12:00 – 13:00 EET
Hosted by
Business Council for Sustainable Energy
Venue
International Chamber of Commerce Pavilion, Area C, Delegation Pavilion 5, P. 112
To Attend
Blue zone badge required to attend in-person. To stream online, register for the ICC’s Making Climate Everyone’s Business Virtual Forum.
The Business of Changing the Trajectory to 2030 and Beyond
The time for solutions is now. Join a discussion with U.S. companies and local governments that bring technology, finance, business solutions that advance the energy transition and increase resilience. Hear how public-private partnerships, meeting customer needs and addressing supply chain emissions and risks, and engaging communities are the building blocks of meeting our 2030 mitigation goals.
Moderator: Lisa Jacobson, President, BCSE
Speakers:
- Bob Hinkle, President and CEO, Metrus Energy
- Scott Tew, Vice President, Sustainability and Managing Director, Center for Energy Efficiency and Sustainability (CEES), Trane Technologies
- Anna Pavlova, Vice President, Strategy & Marketing Development, CarbonQuest
- Kyle Davis, Sr. Director, U.S. Federal Policy, Public Policy & Institutional Affairs – USA & Canada, Enel North America
- Assemblyman Howard Watts III, Nevada State Representative, Nevada Legislature
November 11, 2022
11:30 – 12:30 EET
Hosted by
Business Council for Sustainable Energy
Venue
America is All in Action Center at WWF Pavilion, Area C, Delegation Pavilions 4, P.73
To Attend
Blue zone badge required to attend in-person. Watch online.
A Recharged U.S. Climate & Energy Landscape: Galvanizing Business Solutions for Net-Zero
The path towards reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 has come more into focus with the recent enactment of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in the United States. Hear from U.S. business executives about how anticipated shifts in clean energy investment, workforce development, community engagement, daily operations, and deployment of clean technology solutions, will usher in a new era for the U.S. economy. Find out how the IRA is catalyzing greater private investment and how new partnerships across the public and private sectors can help deliver those outcomes.
Welcome: Nat Keohane, President, Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES)
Opening Speaker: Ali Zaidi, White House National Climate Advisor
Business Panel #1
Moderator: Lisa Jacobson, President, BCSE
- Pedro Pizzaro, President and CEO, Edison International
- Ralph Izzo, Executive Chairman, PSEG
Business Panel #2
Moderator: Brian Wolff, Chief Strategy Officer and Executive Vice President, Public Policy and External Affairs, EEI
- Kristen Siemen, Chief Sustainability Officer, GM
- David Bow, Executive Vice President, Electrolyzer Solutions, Plug
- Nanette Lockwood, Sr. Director, Climate Policy and Advocacy, Trane Technologies
Closing Speaker: Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD)
November 11, 2022
15:00 – 16:00 EET
Hosted by
Business Council for Sustainable Energy, Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES), and Edison Electric Institute (EEI)
Venue
U.S. Center, Area B, Section 8, P.31
To Attend
Blue zone badge required to attend in-person. Watch here.
Deploying a Broad Portfolio of Technology Solutions to Advance Energy Transition & Decarbonization
Technology solutions as clean energy, energy efficiency, clean building materials and CDR, adapted to different localities, will be needed to facilitate the needed transitions to achieve 2050 goals. Developing technical capacity of workforce & creating public-private partnerships will be essential.
Moderator: Amanda Ellis, Former UN Ambassador & Senior Director, Arizona State University
Speakers:
- Peter Schlosser, VP & Vice Provost, ASU
- Kolja Kuse, Chairman of the Board, e5
- Katja Dinges, Corporate Voice on Clean Cooling Strategy, Guidehouse
- Brendan Wallace, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Fifth Wall
- Brian Vaasjo, President and CEO, Capital Power
November 12, 2022
18:30 – 20:00 EET
Hosted by
International Council for Sustainable Energy, e5, ASU Global Futures Lab, and Grace Richardson Foundation
Venue
Room Tutankhamun (Area C, Side Event Room 9)
To Attend
Blue zone badge required to attend in-person, a webcast of the panel is available here.
Learning From Each Other: Continuing the Dialogue on Community Engagement and Investment
At COP 26, local officials joined representatives from the environmental NGO community and the private sector to start a dialog on community engagement and investment in the clean energy transition. This event, the third installment of the dialogue, will focus on how to achieve equity and access in the transition, including how the IIJA and IRA can play a role in ensuring such outcomes.
Moderator: Lisa Jacobson, President, BCSE
Speakers:
- Heather McTeer Toney, VP-Community Engagement, Environmental Defense Fund
- Caroline Choi, Senior Vice President Corporate Affairs, Edison International
- Reihaneh Irani-Famili, VP-Clean Energy Development & Infrastructure Investment, National Grid
- Katherine Neebe, Chief Sustainability Officer, Duke Energy
- Rick Thigpen, Senior Vice President-Corporate Citizenship, PSEG
- Jeanette Pablo, Director Climate Equity and the Clean Energy Transition, Clean Air Task Force
November 15, 2022
10:30 – 11:30 EET
Hosted by
Edison Electric Institute (EEI), Business Council for Sustainable Energy, Edison International
Venue
The Climate Registry (TCR): Pathways to 1.5C Pavilion (Area C, Delegation Pavilion 5, P.135)
To Attend
Blue zone badge required to attend in-person. Register here to watch the livestream and a recording to be posted on the TCR Pavilion website.
Energy Security and Climate Action – Making Smart Investments to Meet the Moment
The energy crisis in Europe is posing a real challenge to meeting global climate goals. Hear how technology and investment choices into clean energy solutions, from energy efficiency and building systems to microgrids, energy storage and renewable energy, can deliver lower costs, maintain reliability and increased security for both companies and governments alike.
Moderator: Lisa Jacobson, President, BCSE
Speakers:
- Reihaneh Irani-Famili, Vice President, Clean Energy Development and Infrastructure Investment, National Grid
- Steve Kukoda, Executive Director, International Copper Association
- Harry Verhaar, Head of Global Public & Government Affairs, Signify
- Dan Strechay, Director of Sustainability Communications & Engagement, Mars, Inc.
- Brian Vaajso, President and CEO, Capital Power
November 15, 2022
13:00 – 14:00 EET
Hosted by
Business Council for Sustainable Energy
Venue
International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Pavilion, Area C, Delegation Pavilion 5, P. 112
To Attend
Blue zone badge required to attend in-person. To stream online, register for the ICC’s Making Climate Everyone’s Business Virtual Forum.
Integrating Across Sectors: Business Leaders in Energy, Buildings & Circular Economy
Businesses are integrating climate action across sectors, suppliers and within communities. Central to achieving net-zero goals is creating partnerships to deploy technology solutions, facilitate innovation, increase resilience, and realize economic and mitigation benefits.
Moderator: Lisa Jacobson, President, BCSE
Opening Remarks: Milagros de Camps, Vice Minister of Climate Change and Sustainability, Dominican Republic
Speakers:
- John Bode, Board Member, Plant Based Products Council
- Harry Verhaar, Head of Global Public & Government Affairs, Signify
- Rama Dunayevich, Global Impact Partnership Lead, Autodesk
- Emily Duncan, Vice President, Government Relations & Head of Washington Office, National Grid
- Elias Dinzey, head of the Fundación Popular, Fundación Popular
November 16, 2022
16:45 – 18:15 EET
Hosted by
Business Council for Sustainable Energy, Alliance to Save Energy, Plant Based Products Council, and Fundacion Popular
Venue
Room Thutmose (Area C, Side Event Room 8)
To Attend
Blue zone badge required to attend in-person. Watch online.
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BCSE In Action – News
In a new blog from Metrus Enegy CEO Bob Hinkle, Bob reflects on his experience with BCSE at COP 27. He writes, “For those of us fortunate enough to be part of COP 27, the 10-day event in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt was enlightening, encouraging… and sobering. Climate action is gaining momentum – spurred in no small part by recent legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act and ratification of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol – yet the reality remains that reaching the 2030 and 2050 targets for carbon reduction will take extraordinary cooperation, effort, and innovation.”
As the desert dust settles from 45,000 people that descended upon the resort town of Sharm el-Sheik, where Egypt hosted the 27th Conference of the Parties (COP 27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), BCSE is reflecting on the outcomes. Governments came together on a landmark decision to create a Loss and Damage Fund, but the global community did not take widespread actions to raise ambition by 2030.
Read a few of BCSE’s take-aways from COP 27 in the full blog.
Press Release
The Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE) President Lisa Jacobson offered a statement in response to the conclusion of the 27th Conference of the Parties (COP 27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt earlier today.
“We are pleased to see the COP 27 cover decision affirm the need for urgent mitigation actions to keep our planet on track to avoid the worst impacts of climate change,” she said. “Governments recognized the need to deploy a broad set of clean energy technologies, many of which are readily available and cost-effective, to speed the energy transition.”
At COP 27, Capital Power highlighted the transition at its Genesee generating station in Alberta, CA from coal to natural gas generation. The project will utilize significant existing generation infrastructure, resulting in a 3.4-million-ton reduction in CO2 relative to 2019 emissions, representing a 60% reduction despite a 40% increase in installed capacity. The high efficiency of new natural gas units will also result in displacement of less-efficient units, resulting in 1 million tons of additional emissions reductions on Alberta’s grid. The station is also embarking on carbon capture and sequestration investments to further reduce emissions and optimize the facility to continue to provide flexible, dispatchable power.
Learn more about the transition to natural gas at Capital Power’s Alberta generating station in a new video.
The Sustainable Markets Initiative Agribusiness Task Force, which includes Mars, Inc., launched their action plan to scale up regenerative farming progress to tackle the impacts of the climate crisis. The Agribusiness Task Force is made up of executives from some of the world’s largest agribusiness companies and organizations such as: Bayer, HowGood, Indigo Agriculture, Mars, McCain Foods, McDonald’s, Mondelez, Olam, PepsiCo, Sustainable Food Trust, Waitrose & Partners, and Yara International. BCSE member Mars chairs this task force.
The plan outlines a need for consistent metrics, better government policy incentives, and a transformation of sourcing to spread the cost of transition to more sustainable practices. The approach laid out in their action plan aims to cut carbon emissions and promote and improve soil health and biodiversity. The outgoing Mars CEO, Grant Reid, deemed the rate of progress “far too slow” and hoped this action plan would inspire the sector to make the changes necessary to encourage regenerative farming work for farmers. The Sustainable Markets Initiative Agribusiness Task Force’s 12 organizations are tied together by a common ambition to push regenerative farming into the mainstream.
Learn more about the Agribusiness Task Force action plan here.
BCSE partnered with Signify to author an article for the 7th issue of Energy Efficiency Magazine, released for COP 27. In the article “Global Energy Efficiency Solutions for a Net-Zero Economy,” BCSE President Lisa Jacobson and Signify Head of Global Public and Government Affairs Harry Verhaar cover energy efficiency investments already under way in the United States and Europe.
These key investments in areas such as lighting and the building envelop not only reduce energy consumption but can bring cost savings to consumers. In the U.S. specifically, investments in energy efficiency and clean energy included in the Inflation Reduction Act are expected to reduce cumulative U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by about 6.3 billion tons over the next decade.
Developed by the AOB Group in Morocco, the 7th edition of Energy Efficiency Magazine focuses on energy efficiency and cooling in Africa. Read the magazine online for more global energy efficiency insights.
Metrus Energy published a new blog from CEO Bob Hinkle sharing his journey to COP 27. He reflects on the importance of returning to Egypt, where his climate and energy work began as a part of a USAID project, and discusses all that’s changed in the past two decades. His article also explores what challenges have persisted within the energy sector – and Bob’s three main focuses to address them as he heads into COP as a part of BCSE’s delegation.
At COP 27 on 11/9, World Resources Institute (WRI), the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and Bloomberg Philanthropies launched Our Solar Future: Roadmap to Mobilize USD 1 Trillion by 2030 (Roadmap) to help meet the urgent need for a massive and more equitable scale-up of investment in solar energy. As the world grapples with escalating climate impacts and energy security issues, scaling up solar energy is essential for decreasing dependence on fossil fuels and ensuring sure all people have access to clean, affordable and reliable energy. The Roadmap outlines priority actions to meet ISA’s goal of mobilizing $1 trillion of investment in solar energy solutions by 2030. It was developed in collaboration with CONCITO, the Investment Fund for Developing Countries, and the World Climate Foundation and is based on inputs from more than 100 solar investment and development experts.
The Roadmap builds on the Solar Investment Action Agenda that was launched at COP 26 and identifies both near-term actions at the country level and broader collaborative efforts to overcome barriers to scaling solar. To mobilize $1 trillion of investment, development finance institutions have a critical role to play in scaling up blended finance, concessional credit lines and other risk mitigation instruments to help bring in private investors. Priority actions at the country level—which can be taken by governments alone or in collaboration with utilities, national development banks, commercial banks and development finance institutions—include aggressively addressing policy and regulatory barriers to solar investment and building momentum in project pipelines. In addition, coordinated and ambitious action among international institutions is needed to deliver investment at scale. Read more in the report.
The Roadmap was launched at an event at the ISA Pavilion in Sharm el-Sheikh. The recommendations and findings will be further explored at COP 27 at the Denmark Pavilion on November 10 from 4-5 pm EET, and at the NDC Partnership Pavilion on November 16 from 5-6 pm EET.
Climate Spheres PBC, together with its affiliates Climate Spheres UK and the Global Climate Solutions Initiative (a 501(c)3 non-profit organization), is dedicated to improving access to and understanding of climate data, technologies, and training to catalyze climate action. The group builds collaborative eco-systems to transform available innovative data and technologies into solutions for communities that are most disproportionately impacted by climate change.
For the agricultural sector, Climate Spheres supports small to medium sized farms by providing access to micro-climate risk assessments which assist the farmer in identifying sustainable and regenerative farming techniques and practices to ensure they can become more resilient and adapt to rapidly worsening climate conditions and events. Climate Spheres agricultural projects also include: (i) implementing the production of biochar from farm plant waste to produce a carbon sinking alternative that enhances the health of soil and reduces the need for artificial and increasingly expensive inputs, and (ii) introducing cost effective, renewable energy solutions, including anaerobic digestors, to small to medium sized farming communities in the U.K. to reduce waste and increase energy production in the face of significantly rising energy prices.
Climate Spheres is also working to democratize equitable and open access to funding for global climate innovators creating solutions to the climate crisis. The group’s Fund My Climate portal is now available and recently added climate solutions can be found here.
Press Release
The Business Council for Sustainable Energy sent a letter to U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry on Thursday commending the U.S. for its leadership on climate change in advance of the 27th Conference of the Parties (COP 27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. The letter highlighted the continued need for U.S. diplomatic leadership to include technical assistance to developing countries on both mitigation and adaptation priorities.
“Effective climate action requires us to move quickly. Buildings account for nearly 40% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions and decarbonizing buildings is the key to decarbonizing our future to ensure generations to come experience a healthy, safe and sustainable planet. The SMI Sustainable Buildings Task Force has a key role to play, and I am honored to be working alongside such a diverse group of leaders to drive impactful, measurable change. Together, we can harness the power of technology and digital transformation to advance policies that will accelerate the delivery of net-zero buildings. In doing so, we are not only showing proper stewardship of the environment, but also of shareholder interest and long-term asset value,” said George Oliver, Chairman & CEO, Johnson Controls.
Read about the Sustainable Markets Initiative’s Sustainable Buildings Taskforce here.
Global clean transportation accelerator CALSTART is changing transportation for good. The organization’s Drive to Zero (TM) program and campaign co-leads the world’s most ambitious collaborative agreement to accelerate the zero-emission truck and bus market and decarbonize the global transport system — the Global Memorandum of Understanding on Zero-Emission Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles. CALSTART is organizing and contributing to COP 27 events aimed at demonstrating the climate, economic, jobs, and operational benefits of zero-emission trucks and buses. As a supporter and frequent collaborator with Transport Decarbonization Alliance (TDA), CALSTART endorses the organization’s public call to action urging UNFCCC members to invest $100 million to train mobility professionals to plan, design, operate, and promote walking and cycling. CALSTART is a contributor to TDA’s How to Guide for Zero-Emission Zones for Freight to be presented at COP 27.
Read about CALSTART’s Drive to Zero (TM) program and campaign here.
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Market Trends & Factbook
The 2023 edition of the Sustainable Energy in America Factbook provides up-to-date, accurate market intelligence about the broad range of industries that are contributing to the country’s move toward cleaner energy production and more efficient energy usage.