Energy efficiency and renewables now offer effective, reliable, and affordable replacements for fossil fuel. Rapidly scaling those solutions will define winners and losers between firms—and among nations. This is the view of Rocky Mountain Institute’s James Brew, one of the keynote speakers at this week’s National Energy Efficiency Conference in Singapore. Meanwhile, the European energy commissioner expressed his support for agreed moves to embrace improvements in energy efficiency across the board, cutting energy consumption by 20% which could save the European Union around $64 billion per year. Read More

Preview of the NEEC2012

The annual NEEC brings together energy experts and industry professionals to provide thought leadership and share energy efficiency best practices and case studies. This year, the second NEEC will take place from 18 to 20 September 2012 with the theme “Energy Efficiency as a Business Opportunity”.

James Brew (Principal, Buildings for the Rocky Mountain Institute, RMI)) will give a plenary presentation on “Reinventing Fire: Bold Business Solutions for a New Energy Era”. Oil and coal have built our civilization, created our wealth, and enriched the lives of billions. Yet their rising costs to our security, economy, health, and environment are eroding and starting to outweigh their benefits.

Across all energy uses, Mr Brew will tell the Singapore audience, energy efficiency and renewables now offer effective, reliable, and affordable replacements for fossil fuel. Rapidly scaling those solutions will define winners and losers between firms—and among nations. Now an independent synthesis offers a new vision whose whole-system thinking can revitalize business models and end-run government gridlock. Its competitive strategies show promising ways to win the clean energy race, not forced by public policy but led by business for durable advantage.

Delegates will discover, for example, how energy can become a controllable operating expense and learn to manage it, to achieve significant savings, affecting all other parts of a business and the bottom line.

Local and overseas energy efficiency speakers, with practical experience, will share their best practices and case studies. The keynote presentation will focus on how Energy Efficiency as a business opportunity could arise by increasing productivity and reducing cost. It would also cover the importance of having a system for managing energy to achieve improvements at all levels. Apart from insightful presentation by the respective experts, there will also be an associated exhibition featuring a range of energy efficient industrial technologies, practices and solutions.

The Energy Efficiency National Partnership (EENP) Awards Ceremony will be presented at the opening of the NEEC in the evening of 18 September 2012. During the awards ceremony, corporations and corporate teams will be recognised for their efforts and achievements in excellent energy management practices and in improving energy efficiency.

Two experts will deliver the keynote address:

 Jim Kelly is the Group Vice-President, Head of Global Energy Efficiency business of ABB, where energy efficiency is recognized as a central driver of growth for industries, utilities, transportation and buildings. His presentation on “Industrial Energy Efficiency – Doing more with less” will focus on barriers, opportunities and success stories of energy efficiency in multiple industries.

 Juan Aguiriano, Worldwide Managing Director of Sustainable Operations for DuPont Sustainable Solutions, is responsible for expanding a consulting practice that leverages real-world experience and proven approaches to help organizations improve and sustain return on operations and assets while reducing the environmental footprint. His presentation on Energy Efficiency – A Sustainability Journey will discuss the specific means through which companies can leverage an energy management system to reduce their energy footprint.

Key case studies, drawing on the practical experience of the speakers from Europe, United States and Asia, will include:

 Paul Westbrook, a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Accredited Professional, is recognized as a leader and speaker in efficiency and whole-system integrated design across the spectrum from residential projects to large industrial facilities. His presentation will show how energy management is currently being carried out in Texas Instruments and how this has helped to drive energy efficiency at TI. This program resulted in a 39% decrease in the energy needed to manufacture a chip over five years (2005-2010).

 Thomas Koch Blank, a Junior Partner with McKinsey’s Stockholm office will cover the topic on “Integrated Energy Strategy: How to capture 20%-30% savings in energy”. He will present the case for change for energy efficiency and detail four key drivers of an integrated energy strategy, their corresponding saving estimates and selected case examples.

 Tim Shire has worked at oil industry service company KBC since 2006 in the Energy Services group. As he has managed energy studies projects at LNG and chemicals facilities in Asia, and has wide experience in utility system modelling, pinch analysis and process simulation, he will deliver his topic on “Unlocking Energy and Water Synergies in Petrochemical Clusters to Improve Competitiveness and Sustainability”.

 Ng Chye-Ming is currently appointed as Engineering and Maintenance Manager in Total’s Polystyrene manufacturing plant located in Tuas Singapore. With his comprehensive understanding of business from the ground level, he will provide a practical case study on how energy efficiency enhances profitability. 

 Robert Pe, a Data Center Consultant with Hewlett Packard, has 21 years of industry experience with his focus specifically on data centres for the last 15 years. His expertise includes the areas of strategic data centre planning, conceptual design, supervision of operations and maintenance of facilities and data centre relocation. His paper covers Data Centre Energy Efficiency – Operating for Optimisation.

For the full conference programme, details of speakers and topics, as well as conference registration, please visit the website: www.neec2012.sg

14 September 2012:

STRASBOURG, France, Sept. 14 (UPI) — The European energy commissioner expressed his support for a move by Parliament to embrace improvements in energy efficiency across the board.

Members of the European Parliament adopted a directive that embraces more energy efficiency from areas ranging from distribution to consumption. The assembly added that cutting energy consumption by 20 percent could save the European Union around $64 billion per year.

European Energy Commissioner Gunther Oettinger said the measure would lead to economic growth in the eurozone.

“The positive vote on this directive is an important step in these difficult economic times,” he said in a statement.

The European Central Bank pledged during the summer to take whatever action is necessary to support the euro. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, in its monthly report for September, expected the eurozone to return to growth next year.

Lawmakers in the European Parliament described energy efficiency targets as essential to energy security and economic recovery.

The 20 percent target is envisioned for 2020.

Source: www.upi.com