Trendsinenergy

Power shift: How climate and security concerns will change the European energy market landscape.

On Tuesday 4 March 2008, Capgemini organised and hosted Trends in Energy 2008.
The theme for this year was Sustainability, and leading Dutch energy companies, including Essent, Eneco, NUON, TenneT, DELTA, RWE and Oxxio were our guests for the entire day.

International figureheads
Speakers and panel members during Trends in Energy 2008 included international figureheads such as Colette Lewiner, Head of Energy, Utilities and Chemicals and Global Sector leader; Pieter Boot of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Bart-Jan Krouwel, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility with the Rabobank; Berend Olde Rikkert of Capgemini Consulting; Samuele Furfari of the European Commission; Frans Berkhout, Professor of Innovation and Sustainability and Director of the Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM) at the VU University Amsterdam, and Ruud Lubbers, former Dutch Prime Minister and Minister of State. The event was under the inspirational leadership of facilitator Paul Hohnen, an international expert in responsible and sustainable development.

Challenges for the Netherlands and Europe
Topics discussed on the day included the challenges facing us both in Europe and in the Netherlands in meeting the demands set by the European Commission. 20% of our energy supply must be from renewable sources by 2020, we need to be consuming 20% less energy, and CO2 emissions need to be reduced by 20%. Capgemini further expanded on its recently published EEMO report and European Union Climate Change Objectives with observations on the subject.

Useful discussions
Useful discussions took place regarding the additional energy needs which we all have, and how these can be aligned with the target reduction in emissions. There was also extensive talk about the use of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power and the role that Europe and the government should play in them. Discussion about the use of nuclear power was also on the agenda. After all, nuclear power production does not result in CO2 emissions.

Smart meters
One solution is to reward organisations and individuals for using environmentally-friendly energy themselves. This can be done by fitting what are known as smart meters. Capgemini has set up a joint venture for their roll-out called: The Smart Metering Shop.

We are looking forward to seeing you at Trends in Energy 2009!