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For Immediate Release
Media Contacts:
Ronnie Kweller – 44-779-565-3036; rkweller@ase.org
Susan Shuckra – 44-771-777-5449; sshuckra@ase.org
Major New Energy Reports from WBCSD, McKinsey, CERA on Agenda
April 27-29 Forum Features 135 Energy Efficiency Experts from 30 Nations
-- http://eeglobalforum.org/ --
Paris, France, April 27, 2009 – The breadth and depth of global energy expertise to be showcased at the Alliance to Save Energy’s 2009 Energy Efficiency Global Forum and Exposition (EE Global; www.eeglobalforum.org) is demonstrated by the lineup of speakers at the opening plenary session, scheduled for 4 pm today at the Palais des Congrès. Those speakers include senior energy officials and corporate CEOs from five countries on three continents (Europe, Asia, North America), who will kick off the only global forum focused exclusively on energy efficiency.
These high-level speakers are part of a lineup of some 135 public- and private-sector experts and officials from more than two dozen nations who will offer insights and information on the latest energy and energy efficiency policies and technologies as part of the multifaceted, three-day agenda (http://eeglobalforum.org/agenda.html).
EE Global will unveil major initiatives in the energy efficiency field, including a multi-year, global study of energy efficiency in buildings funded by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).
In addition, experts behind two recent studies addressing global deployment of energy efficiency – Averting the Next Energy Crisis: The Demand Challenge by the McKinsey Global Institute and Strategies for a Lean Europe: Meeting the Energy Efficiency Challenge from Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA) – will headline the closing plenary session of EE Global (3:30 pm, April 29).
“The quality and geographical diversity of the speakers at our EE Global forum, as well as the highlighting of three major energy studies, clearly demonstrate that energy efficiency is a critical issue that resonates with a worldwide audience,” observed Alliance President Kateri Callahan.
“EE Global brings together world-class and worldwide energy and environmental professionals in all end-use sectors with elected and appointed officials and corporate, utility, and NGO executives from multiple continents for in-depth discussions on critical energy issues. These discussions will take place in a unique forum that will nurture the development and sharing of best practices, policies, and strategies for global implementation,” she added.
“With over 100 experts from around the world, I am confident that EE Global will be the finest international energy efficiency symposium of the year,” said Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), honorary chair of the Alliance Board of Directors. “This is a unique and commanding event, and I commend the participants for their leadership in energy efficiency.”
Jim Rogers, president and CEO of Duke Energy and co-chair of the Alliance Board, commented: “Now more than ever, energy efficiency must play a critical role in combating global warming. While the focus on high-profile renewable energy sources is important and should continue, the cheapest, simplest way to reduce carbon emissions is through aggressive, worldwide energy efficiency initiatives. This year’s Energy Efficiency Global Forum represents an excellent opportunity to further advance those initiatives.”
Speakers at today’s 4 pm opening plenary session who will present Energy Efficiency Policy Strategies from Around the World include Dr. Johannes Milde, CEO, Siemens Building Technologies; Suresh Prabhu, member of Parliament and former union minister for power, India; Hon. Lisa Raitt, minister natural resources, Canada; Jean-Pascal Tricoire, president and CEO, Schneider Electric; and Hon. Claude Turmes, European Parliament (Luxembourg).
At the second plenary session (8:30-10:30 am, April 28), Niels B. Christiansen, president and CEO, Danfoss; Bracken Darrell, president, WhirlpoolEurope and EVP, Whirlpool Corporation; Thomas K. Dreessen, president and CEO, EPS Capital Corporation; Hon. Lena Ek, European Parliament (Sweden); and John Fielder, president Southern California Edison, will look at Growing Economies in a Carbon-Constrained World: The Role of Energy Efficiency in the Business and Industrial Sectors.
Keynoting at the April 29 Plenary Awards Luncheon, whose theme is Working Together – A Look at International Implementation Partnerships, will be Fiona Harvey, environment correspondent, Financial Times. Also speaking will be Eric Pilaud, executive vice president, strategy, customers & technology, Schneider Electric.
Three 2009 EE Visionary Awards presented at the luncheon will recognize outstanding contributions to the advancement of energy efficiency by California Public Utilities Commissioner Dian M. Grueneich; European Commissioner for Energy Adris Piebalgs; and the National Reform & Development Commission, People’s Republic of China. Qu Xing, the Chinese Embassy’s charge d'affaires and minister, will be accepting the EE Visionary Award on behalf of the commission.
The closing plenary will explore What is the Real Potential for Energy Efficiency? – Contrasting Perspectives. In addition to Jaana Remes, senior fellow, McKinsey Institute, and Dr. Douglas Howe, senior director, global power, CERA, who will discuss their respective organizations’ recent reports, speakers will include Jean-Pierre Benqué, senior executive vice president, N.A., for EDF; Hon. Jean-Louis Borloo, French minister for ecology and sustainable planning development; Björn Stigson, president, World Business Council for Sustainable Development; and Nobuo Tanaka, executive director, International Energy Agency.
Interspersed among the plenary sessions are two dozen 90-minute Executive Dialogue sessions (http://eeglobalforum.org/07/symposium-execdialogue.html), each offering the latest technical, commercial, and policy information within one of four end-use “tracks” – buildings, industry and utilities, transportation and urban planning, and consumer. Within these tracks, each session will focus on one of four key cross-cutting issues – finance, policy, technology, or market transformation.
A complete list of confirmed speakers is available on the EE Global website (http://eeglobalforum.org/symposium-execdialogue-speakers.html), as are podcasts of interviews with plenary speakers and other energy efficiency leaders (http://eeglobalforum.org/updates/).
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The Alliance to Save Energy is a coalition of prominent business, government, environmental, and consumer leaders who promote the efficient and clean use of energy worldwide to benefit consumers, the environment, the economy, and national security.
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