More Europe needed in European energy markets

Leading figures of the European and German energy world were united in their calls for a renewed effort towards more integration in European energy markets at WEC Germany’s flagship event.

 

Greater integration was needed in order to realise many opportunities that could not be achieved with isolated national initiatives, delegates heard at Energietag (or “Energy Day”) on 30 September in Berlin.

In front of an audience of about 300 – with delegates coming from politics, academia, business and media – the acting EU Energy Commission Günther Oettinger, State Secretary Rainer Baake from the Federal Economics Ministry, and Lex Hartman, CEO of system operator Tennet, amongst others, spoke about “Energy strategies for tomorrow”, the event’s theme, and delivered keynotes on their visions for European energy markets.



In a second panel, Polish, French, German, Italian and Swedish speakers from government and academia discussed “Energy strategies from other countries – what we can learn from our neighbours”, providing a fresh look on the German debate and showcasing other countries’ agony of choice between the three aspects of the energy trilemma.

WEC Secretary General Christoph Frei provided first glimpses of the upcoming 2015 World Energy Issues Monitor. He emphasised the complexity and speed of events on energy markets that is also affecting the German “Energiewende”, the country’s ambitious transition from the current energy mix to 80% renewables by 2050.

A fascinating outlook into the future was provided by the final panel, “A look into the crystal ball: long-term scenarios for energy”. Representatives of energy producers such as RWE, major industry representatives such as Siemens and BASF, and academia were asked to provide their views on key energy developments including oil, carbon price, and the share of renewables in electricity production in 2035. They also shared what they regarded as the upcoming game changers in technology in 20 years: on top of their lists were decentralised energy solutions, offshore wind, big data in energy, and cheap batteries.

The event was complemented by a discussion with a group of Young Energy Professionals from the German WEC member companies.