Energy

Mr Buchel examines the transformative role that smart grid technologies can have on decentralising, digitalising and decarbonising the European electricity system.

Professor Edenhofer examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sustainable economics and climate policies. He explains how a ‘European Fund for Climate Protection’ would safeguard climate investments.

Germany holds the Presidency of the Council of the EU and the Presidency of the North Seas Energy Cooperation for the remainder of 2020. It is using these platforms to promote the abundant potential of offshore wind energy in Europe. The next six months present an opportunity for Germany to steer the EU towards advancing the European Green Deal through the development of offshore technologies and the provision of finance opportunities for offshore wind projects.

A keynote address on the topic of the European Climate Strategy and the Green Deal.

In his keynote address, Neil Kermode demonstrates how the alchemy of turning seawater into electricity has finally been proven to be both predictable and achievable. Mr Kermode provides a personal perspective on the potential of marine energy to tackle climate issues and develop a new economy for the 21st century.

The EU is committed to becoming a global leader in green finance and taking steps to protect the financial system from climate risk. It is determined to export its regulatory approach across the globe but faces challenges and limitations in this pursuit. The European Commission established a Technical Expert Group on Sustainable Finance in 2018 to improve the flow of information among financial market actors. While, overall, the Expert Group has made a promising start in its approach to addressing climate risks and promoting green finance, its approach has been criticized for lacking nuance, particularly when it comes to its binary classification of assets and sectors of the economy as either ‘green’ or ‘brown’. These critiques are important to consider if the EU is to successfully export its approach globally.

Commission President-elect, Ursula von der Leyen, has argued that the question of climate action is a moral, human and political obligation. She has made climate action a core element of her ‘Agenda for Europe’.

This event explores the role and potential of hydrogen the transition to a low carbon economy.