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Building sustainable, secure and resilient energy systems at scale through local action

Natalia Cardona

Moderator

date June 29, 2022 | 15:30 - 17:00
place
Multifunction Hall Room 14
organization
F6S
country
United Kingdom
language
English
theme
Equitable urban futures
Reference: 
NE 134

Summary

As every additional half-degree of global warming brings harmful consequences to communities, and ecosystems around the world, low carbon solutions to mitigate the effect of climate change, and to increase the resilience of our communities are increasingly crucial. The transition to an integrated, and secure energy system plays a key role in achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement. Renewable Energy Sources are pivotal in securing energy access in remote areas, help the energy system to bounce back following extreme climate events, and strengthen energy security, increasing resilience to economic shocks. Community-owned RES allow communities to thrive, retaining investments and revenues locally, supporting solutions to energy poverty, creating jobs and enhancing local engagement. Local governments have an essential role to play in shaping, implementing and bringing forward innovative solutions for a sustainable energy system. They are not only administrators, service providers and leaders for the community they serve, but also act as first responders against climate threats and in delivering on the communities`needs. This session will show practical examples of how cities are enhancing the resilience of local (including urban) energy systems and providing modern energy services to vulnerable and underserved communities. It will focus on how cities are shaping urban governance, planning and action to deliver local resilience, by rethinking local energy systems, testing innovation, scaling-up low-carbon solutions and enhancing adaptive capacity. Starting from the “real-life” experiences of cities and communities worldwide, this session will zoom-in on both technologies and innovative solutions developed to support sustainable energy action planning on the ground, presenting gaps, challenges, and replicable solutions implemented. It will bring cities and communities together with international partners (e.g. ICLEI, UN-HABITAT, UNEP, etc.), initiatives (e.g. 100% RES Network), and EU-funded projects (e.g. URBAN LEDS- Low emission development strategies, SESA-Sustainable Energy Access for Africa, SolutionsPlus, etc.), offering a platform for discussion and knowledge sharing. The session will be set up as a trilateral dialogue between three pluri-stakeholders groups: solutions providers, solutions enablers, and solutions implementers. The driving question for the discussion will focus on how to bring processes and solutions presented to scale, with representatives from innovation hubs, academic financial Institutions, and national policy makers asked to reflect and share on what regulatory, technical and financial enablers are needed to support both scale and replication of the solutions presented. Speakers and audience will be invited to share ideas and their interest to establish the foundation for future partnerships, testing solutions presented, and join future knowledge-sharing opportunities.

Objectives

The session aims at showcasing and bringing together the experiences of cities, local businesses and communities in transforming the energy system through implementing innovative, sustainable local solutions. The pathway towards the successful achievement of both SDG 7 and 11 passes via the uptake of innovative and clean energy solutions. The event aims to open a dialogue among stakeholders that develop, enable and implement this game-changing solutions on the ground. The session aims to promote real-life experiences of innovative processes and technologies, and provide a platform for connecting cities, innovators, businesses and financial institutions in developing new projects and joint opportunities. Speakers will discuss technologies and solutions for sustainable energy systems, against the goal of accelerating energy access and increasing resilience to climate change.. Building upon these considerations, high level speakers from UN Habitat and UNEP will take part in the session, both bringing in the perspectives of human settlements in relation to access to energy, and the potential of innovative technological solutions in the African continent. By engaging in a lively discussion, we aim to showcase good practices at the international stage; provide working solutions for more sustainable energy systems and provide tangible examples of actions that can and should be taken to accelerate sustainable urban development through energy solutions.

Session speakers

Speaker
Role
Organization
Country
Mr. Giorgia Rambelli
Coordinator, Climate Policy & Energy Governance
ICLEI Europe
Ms. Shipra Narang Suri
Chief Urban Practices
UN-Habitat
Ms. Bianka Kretschmer
Senior Climate Change Analyst
Adaptation Fund
Ms. Rana Adib
Executive Secretary
REN21
Mr. Joseph Oganga
Chief Officer Department of Energy and Industrialization
Kisumu County