Panels for the Zero Carbon Industry

Panel 1: Processes and technologies to meet future challenges
Panel 2: Energy management and corporate culture
Panel 3: Drivers to change

Our six panel leaders

Submit your abstract by 20 November

• Submission portal here
• Instructions for authors and presenters here

Introduction

Europe’s industrial context has changed considerably over the last couple of years. The EU has increased its climate ambition to achieve full climate neutrality by 2050, the COVID19 pandemic has perturbated consumer demand and supply chains and, the war Russia started in Ukraine caused an unprecedented energy crisis.

There are a host of EU initiatives with important implications for the industry such as ETS, the Carbon Boarder Adjustment, the Net Zero Industry Act as well as broader initiatives such as FitFor55 and the Green Deal. Meanwhile, industry often leads the process by initiatives and calls for ambitious policies.

The industry plays a key role in achieving Europe’s long-term climate and energy objectives. However, while the improvement of the companies’ processes and operations is a permanent endeavour, there is a common understanding that more drastic transformations are needed to achieve deep decarbonisation. At the same time, industry must remain competitive – within Europe and globally.

The three panels aim to cover key aspects of industrial energy efficiency and decarbonisation.  

Panel 1: Processes and technologies to meet future challenges

Meta Thurid Lotz, Fraunhofer ISI, DE
Enrico Cagno, Politecnico di Milano, IT

"Net zero technologies and renewable energy are crucial to reaching climate neutrality" said the executive vice-president for the European Green Deal, Frans Timmermans, at the beginning of 2023 during the proposal of the Net Zero Industry Act. Although industry emissions have fallen by around 28% since 2005, further efforts are needed to achieve the energy and climate targets.

The issue is of interest to the entire industry, not just the process industry (e.g., the production of basic materials, like cement, steel and chemicals), which is particularly intensive in the use of energy and production resources and has a significant impact on emissions. In effect, it is crucial to establish new production technologies and processes that are less energy-, resource- and emission intensive. But this seems to contrast with long lifetimes and high investment costs in the industry sectors. Consequently, sector- and process-specific perspectives (such as SBTI's guidance report for the steel sector) are necessary to reach decarbonisation, but also cross-cutting technologies together with managerial and organisational approaches (from symbiosis and circular economy to supply chain sustainability) for operationalising these objectives and meeting the targets.

So, what are these net zero technologies and processes that can decarbonise the industrial sector? Strong and prospective evidence from the industry is sought. The panel focuses on this question and the related technical, technological, and organisational aspects. Presentations should be on one of the following topics although related ideas are welcome:

• Process & technology innovation to meet 2050 objectives
• Priority? Focus on energy demand or changing to non-carbon supply
• Decarbonisation and energy efficiency
• Electrification, renewable energy and carbon-neutral secondary energy carriers
• Juggling energy, water waste and more concerns in one go
• Demand-side processes and technologies, such industrial symbiosis or circular economy
• Role of digital readiness
• Accelerating replication

Submit your abstract by 20 November. See the call for papers page on who to submit your abstract

Panel 2: Energy management and corporate culture

Erik Gudbjerg, Director at yourenergy, Denmark
Rod Janssen, Energy in Demand and President, Energy Efficiency in Industrial Processes, France

Decarbonising industry is multi-faceted but key is the people who set the strategies, develop the priorities, implement the steps and measures chosen. Decarbonisation does not happen in a vacuum. In the decarbonisation process, it has to be appreciated that improving energy efficiency is an important starting point to ensure long-term sustainability. While there is a need to move away from fossil fuels, there needs to be a balance between demand and supply requirements.  It has long been pointed out in various sectors that there is an untapped potential for improving energy efficiency through implementing cost-effective measures. Improving energy efficiency in an organisation is an activity that, like most activities, needs to be well organised and managed. Effectively, this means changing the culture within the organisation. This also means changing approaches to take advantage of new innovations, from digitalisation to data management to effective communication and more.

This panel focuses on the human dynamics within industry. Presentations should be on one of the following topics although related ideas are welcome:

• Role and value of digitalisation, AI, IoT
• Importance of energy and non-energy data planning
• Role of ISO 50001 and 14001
• Does size of company matter?
  • How do we reach SMEs to do more?
• Supply chain management
• Coping with increasing energy and input prices
• Logistics management
• Role of communication – getting the messaging right to fully reach corporate management, role of influencers, getting CFOs and energy managers on the same wavelength
• Complete benefits of energy audits from non-energy benefits to supporting strategic planning
• Value of systematic audits within an organisation

Submit your abstract by 20 November. See the call for papers page on who to submit your abstract

Panel 3: Drivers to change

Ivana Rogulj, IEECP
Jorge Rodrigues de Almeida, RdA Climate Solutions

This panel explores a wide range of drivers from policy to financing to communication. It poses the question if policymakers and the industry are effectively engaging in communication to facilitate real transformation?

Policies play a crucial role in driving energy efficiency in industry by setting standards, incentives, and regulations that encourage the adoption of efficient technologies and practices. They provide a structured framework that not only reduces energy consumption and operational costs for businesses but also contributes to a more sustainable and environmentally responsible industrial sector. The aim of this panel is to showcase the essential role of policy in fostering industrial energy efficiency, encouraging the development of forward-thinking energy policies, and promoting the integration of sustainable practices into industrial processes.

The objective is to try to see where the same language is spoken- the language of the economics of business and the language of policy for societal change.

Presentations should be on one of the following topics although related ideas are welcome:

• The importance of industry, climate and energy strategies at national or EU level. Implications of current EU-wide policy developments – REPowerEU, Fit for 55, European Green Deal Industrial Plan, Net-Zero Industry Act– as well as other national/regional initiatives within the wider European context
• The role of carbon border adjustments in the climate and energy transition
• The role of multiple benefits of energy efficiency and energy efficiency first principle for industry
• How can digitalisation change the energy efficiency in industries?
• How the financial community can play a key role in the decarbonisation efforts
• How can needs for policies’ monitoring and evaluation be aligned with the needs of the companies – the importance of policy implementation and monitoring
• How will companies’ obligations affect the smaller companies in the supply chain?
• The Role of the EU Taxonomy
• The Importance of improved energy efficiency and the links with EU initiatives such as the circular economy action plan, resource efficiency, industry strategy, renewable energy requirements, etc.
• The workforce needed for the fourth industrial revolution
• Role of best practice, case studies, one-stop-shops, learning networks, etc.

Submit your abstract by 20 November. See the call for papers page on who to submit your abstract

Our six panel leaders

	Enrico Cagno is a Full Professor at the Dept. Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering, Politecnico di Milano. He sits on the Technical Board for MIND (ex-EXPO) area design. He is the Sustainable Manufacturing Section Coordinator of the Lombardy Energy CleanTech Cluster. He is Member of Energy Efficiency Financial Institutions Group (EEFIG) and of UNECE Group of Experts on Energy Efficiency. He was Representative for Italy at the IEA-IETS-Annex XIV. He promoted and coordinated a number of research and consultancy projects, ranging from strategic to organizational and operational development, for numerous international enterprises, groups and administrations. His primary research interests are Sustainability in Industrial Systems (Energy and Resources Efficiency, Decarbonisation and Safety at Work, and their development in Supply Chain perspective). A particular focus is on Small and Medium-sized Enterprises. He serves as associate editor, member of the editorial board and regular referee for several renowned international peer-reviewed journals. He is author of more than 380 publications between journal papers, books, book chapters and proceedings. He is listed by a Stanford University’s study in the World Top 2% of Scientists in the fields of Energy; Enabling & Strategic Technologies; and Strategic, Defence & Security Studies.
	Erik Gudbjerg is an international Expert on Industrial Energy Efficiency and Energy Management System Implementation. He has assisted over 300 organisations in implementing - improving Energy Management in Malaysia, China, Turkey, Egypt, Ukraine and Uzbekistan since 2012. Worked as consultant for UNIDO, World Bank and the Danish Technology Institute among others. CTA on the TEVMOT project in Turkey. Erik is a certified energy consultant by the the Danish Energy Agency.
	Rod Janssen is an expert in sustainable energy policies with a special focus on energy efficiency,based in Paris. Rod is editor of Energy in Demand , an independent blog on the zero carbon energy transition, and President of Energy Efficiency in Industrial Processes, a Brussels-based not-for-profit business and policy platform for the energy transition. Rod is a member of the board of eceee.
	Meta Thurid Lotz is a research associate at the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI and a PhD student at Utrecht University. Her work focuses on the transformation of industrial value chains in context of decarbonization pathways. She is involved in the dynamic modelling of material flows and stocks in context of a circular economy as well as the assessment of supporting policy instruments.
	Jorge Rodrigues de Almeida is Founder and Managing Partner of RdA Climate Solutions, an independent advisory boutique specialized in climate change with a special focus on energy and sustainable finance.Leading adviser on sustainable energy and climate adaptation who has been working for 20 years at European level for governments, cities and major industries. He has been responsible for several national and international projects namely as Director of the first EIB European Local ENergy Assistance (ELENA) facility in Portugal, Investor Confidence Project (ICP) Europe Director and has assisted the European Commission as External Expert in the assessment of project proposals under several EU frameworks. Currently he is Chairperson of the HOOP Circular Investors Board, Smart Cities Marketplace Matchmaking Expert, Local Expert for EIB’s Private Finance for Energy Efficiency (PF4EE) and Portuguese ESCO Association's Board Advisor. Regular public speaker at industry events and author of several articles published in Portuguese Magazines and Newspapers.
	Ivana Rogulj is a Senior Energy Expert at the Institute for European Energy and Climate Policy (IEECP). She has more than 15 years of experience in energy efficiency, combining energy service company, non-governmental association and a think tank. She (co)authored policy analysis and recommendations, is experienced in energy planning and was participating multiple projects in different consumption sectors, with more focus on businesses lately. Her background is MSc in Power Engineering, specialization in Environmental Engineering and an MBA, CMVP. She is a PhD candidate in Economics and an external lecturer on the ETS. In IEECP, she coordinates & works on projects with the focus on small and medium enterprises, audits, business models and policies. Her specific interest are external benefits of energy efficiency projects. Ivana is a member of the Covenant of Companies Steering Committee.