24th Congress Day 4 Highlights

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DAY 4 - INNOVATION: THE PATHWAY TO PROSPERITY

The fourth and final day of the 24th World Energy Council in Abu Dhabi focused on energy innovation and innovators and the essential role they play in delivering a successful energy transition. 

DAY 4 HIGHLIGHTS

Start-up Energy Transition: The power of the bold

What are the key characteristics, predictions, and insights of the world’s top energy start-ups and entrepreneurs? What are the new business models, technologies and solutions at the forefront of the energy transition? The winners of this years’ Start up Energy Transition Award illustrated the power of the bold and demonstrated why innovation is key to a successful energy transition in the opning plenary of the day.

Moderator Gina Domanig, CEO of Emerald Technology Ventures, was joined by Andreas Kuhlmann, Chief Executive of the German Energy Agency (DENA), Marwan Bin Haidar, Executive Vice President of Innovation & The Future at DEWA, Divine Nabaweesi, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Divine Bamboo, Richard Romanowski, Executive Director, Planet Ark Power, Jakob Hornbach, Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder,  Bodawerk and Thomas Chrometzka, Chief Strategy Officer, Enapter.

Pitch perfect: Best of the Start-up Energy Transition

Challenging the conventional wisdom of energy systems with innovative solutions requires creativity, passion and the skills to persuade potential investors of your vision. Bringing together SET finalists from the pitching stage, our most promising entrepreneurs presented their innovations to our jury and audience during one of the final sessions of the Congress.

The jury line-up included Jon Dee, Co-Founder and Managing Director of the DoSomething Foundation, Charles Vaslet, Partner at Emerald Technology Ventures, Christopher Smith, Managing Director at Energy Innovation Capital (EIC), Julia Padberg, Investment Manager at SET Ventures, Dr. Mike Howard, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Electric Power Research Institute, Rob Genieser, Partner at ETF Partners, Rodney John Allam, 2012 Global Energy Prize Laureate and Partner, 8 Rivers Capital, Anya Nova, Crypto Economist at Power Ledger, Rokas Peciulaitis, Managing Partner at Contrarian Ventures, Ksenia Iastrebova, VP Commerical Delivery at ADNOC, and Stephane Villecroze, Managing Partner at Demeter.

Be a CEO for the day: A live simulation game

What does it take to be the CEO of an energy company that needs to improve its financial and operational performance? This live simulation game put participants in the driving seat with a series of digital and innovation opportunities and challenges - from investment decisions and use of technology to cultivating a workforce with the right skills.

Introduced by Benoit Laclau, Partner, Global Energy Leader at EY, the session was moderated by Fay Shong, Oil and Gas Digital Strategy Leader, Americas at EY, and Marc Coltelli, Global Power & Utilities Operations Leader at EY.

Opening plenary sessions

  • Leveraging 5G to drive sustainability and enable innovation in the energy sector - Khalifa Hassan Al Forah Al Shamsi, Group Chief Corporate Strategy & Governance officer, Etisalat
  • Keynote address by Jesse Moore, CEO, M-Kopa Solar
  • Opening plenary - Start-up Energy Transition: The power of the bold

Interactive sessions

  • Pitch perfect: Best of the Start-up Energy Transition (SET)
  • Faster, better, cheaper: Cross sector collaboration to deliver successful energy transitions
  • Be a CEO for the day: A live simulation game

Parallel sessions

  • Innovation in grids: Future-proofing the power network
  • Rethinking innovation ecosystems beyond technology

Closing plenary sessions

  • Closing ministerial reflections of the week: Energy for prosperity
  • Closing remarks with H.E. Dr. Matar Al Neyadi
  • Future Energy Leaders' Declaration
  • Farewell speech by Younghoon David Kim
  • Inaugural speech by Jean-Marie Dauger
  • Invitation to the 25th World Energy Congress by H.E. Dmitry Kozak
  • Farewell speech by H.E. Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei

Congress Ministerial reflections of the week: Energy for prosperity

Dr. Christoph Frei, Secretary General & Chief Executive Officer of the World Energy Council, was joined by H.E. Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Industry of the United Arab Emirates, and H.E. Alexander Novak, Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation, for the closing Ministerial reflections of the week.

H.E Al Mazrouei stated that the energy transiton will require innovative ideas combined with regulations and a market design to allow for new thinking. Alexander Novak was delighted to share that the next World Energy Congress in 2022 will take place in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Closing plenaries

Innovation took centre-stage during this year's Congress. While the energy transition is accelerating on many different fronts, regulatory framework and legislation is lagging behind innovation, which is discouraging investors. There is consensus that the future is decarbonised, but the road is fraught with uncertainty. Leaders must come together, take responsibility, and be dedicated to change.

The closing plenary panel was moderated by Dr. Christoph Frei, Secretary General & Chief Executive Officer of the World Energy Council. Panellists included Angela Wilkinson, Senior Director, Scenarios and Business Insights of the World Energy Council, Dr. Mike Howard, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), Gina Domanig, Managing Partner & Chief Executive Officer at Emerald Technology Ventures, and Thomas Chrometzka, Chief Strategy Officer, Enapter.

Closing thoughts

The closing ceremony of the 24th World Energy Congress featured a heartfelt farewell to outgoing Council Chair, Younghoon David Kim, followed by an inaugural speech by incoming Chair, Jean-Marie Dauger. It also included a moving plea for climate change action from the Council’s Future Energy Leaders. 

As part of the ceremony, the Congress was officially handed over from the UAE hosts of the 24th World Energy Congress to Dmitry Kozak, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, as the hosts of the 25th World Energy Congress in St. Petersburg in 2022. 

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