World leaders were due to convene in Glasgow for the UN Climate Conference (COP26) in November for what was anticipated to be a transformational moment in the energy transition.
The move to decarbonise the global energy system will be one of the most fundamental economic changes witnessed in a generation, with the shift requiring more than $20 trillion of new renewable capacity being installed in the coming 30 years. There was optimism that Glasgow 2020 could have yielded an intergovernmental agreement on the scale of the Paris Agreement secured at COP21 in 2015.
There is still optimism this outcome is a possibility, despite Covid-19 meaning COP26 has been postponed until November 2021. But the need to debate the energy transition and what it means for Scotland, the UK and the world is still an urgent priority for our industry.
We can seize the opportunity, exactly one year out from the rescheduled Glasgow event, to start setting the agenda for the multilateral talks. The ongoing global pandemic might have disrupted the event itself, but the need for the transition has become even more pressing in the post-Covid world as we are constantly told the economy will ‘build back greener.’
What does this mean? How do energy companies meet the demand for more energy whilst balancing the risk of the energy transition? How can Scotland and the UK take advantage of having the world’s eyes on us in 12 months’ time and create a lasting legacy for our economy and energy mix?
It is with these questions in mind that Energy Voice is today announcing the launch of our inaugural free and entirely virtual Energy Transition Idea Exchange (ETIDEX).
We want the industry to come together and use our platform as a catalyst for positive change as the energy sector paves the way for a decarbonised future. So on November 19, which would have been the crucible of decision making on the penultimate day of the original COP26 schedule, we will bring together multiple key stakeholders in four separate sessions to discuss the transition in front of our live online audience.
As the name suggests, our objective is for the event to be a free exchange of ideas. It is an opportunity for our speakers and audience to reflect on where we are now on the transition journey and together scope out a future roadmap for how a greener energy mix will meet the needs of a growing population and resurgent economy.
We have built a programme of fantastic high-level speakers across the sessions, which will run throughout the day on Thursday November 19. Our Principal Partners for the event are Burness Paull, Deloitte and DNV GL, with partner organisations including: Aker Solutions, AREG, ECITB, Equinor, the EIC, Pale Blue Dot Energy, Petrofac, WBCSD and Wood.
Speakers from this diverse group will take to the virtual stage in panel sessions to discuss: the big-picture macro view of the transition, the corporate world’s response to net-zero, the transfer of skills in the energy workforce, the future deployment of renewable infrastructure and revolutionary technologies such as hydrogen and CCS.
The shift to net-zero energy production, consumption and distribution requires a radical rethink of infrastructure and the policy and business systems that support the industry.
The road to a decarbonised economy requires collaborative thinking and collective action. This will be driven by clear vision and the free exchange of ideas.
Please register to attend ETIDEX for free on November 19 by visiting the link below and together we will fire the starting pistol on the countdown to COP26.