From 25 to 29 October 2021, the EU Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) gathered thousands of participants from almost a hundred countries, including researchers, entrepreneurs, policymakers, campaigners and clean energy enthusiasts, in a dedicated virtual platform.
The digital event included 32 Policy Conference sessions lead by over 275 inspiring green energy experts, 40 Energy Talks and the prestigious EUSEW Awards. 35 virtual stands from EU institutions and stakeholders informed participants about their activities as part of the virtual exhibition. Over 3500 one-on-one exchanges took place through the online networking feature, keeping the EUSEW community interacting and growing.
On top of this, 40 session took place from 11 to 22 October as part of EUSEW Extended Programme and 116 local Sustainable Energy Days were organised in 20 countries around Europe and beyond in September and October.
Below you can find a gallery with pictures of the onsite activity in the EUSEW studios in Brussels from the week itself and snippets of the EUSEW week logged by day.
All replays of plenaries and policy sessions are available on EUSEW YouTube channel.
- 28/10/2021 - EUSEW DAY 4
The energy transition is really the dominant topic, and a topic that has put its mark on the energy debate in a completely different way."
— Pierre Schellekens , Head of Unit, Communication and Outreach, DG ENER, European Commission
➔ WATCH Closing remarks The energy transition is really the dominant topic, and a topic that has put its mark on the energy debate in a completely different way."
— Pierre Schellekens , Head of Unit, Communication and Outreach, DG ENER, European Commission
➔ WATCH Closing remarksThe energy transition is really the dominant topic, and a topic that has put its mark on the energy debate in a completely different way."
— Pierre Schellekens , Head of Unit, Communication and Outreach, DG ENER, European Commission
➔ WATCH Closing remarksThe clean energy transition is about extending our empathy to generations of the future, and shaping a safer world for people who will be around to see what is going to happen to our planet at the end of the century."
— Kadri Simson , European Commissioner for Energy
➔ WATCH European Youth Energy Day - Hackathon award ceremonyI don’t think you need a big aha moment or radical shift to actually do something about the energy transition."
— Merve Güngor , EKOenergy, Young Energy Trailblazer Award Finalist
➔ WATCH European Youth Energy Day - Hackathon award ceremonyEvery small step contributes to the solution, because if we wait for *the right step* to come, it never comes."
— Merve Güngor , EKOenergy, Young Energy Trailblazer Award Finalist
➔ WATCH European Youth Energy Day - Hackathon award ceremonyThere are many misconceptions about sustainable energy [...] there is still a lot of time and effort that needs to be put into educating the general public."
— Filip Koprčina , Energy Shift, Young Energy Trailblazer Award Winner
➔ WATCH European Youth Energy Day - Hackathon award ceremonyWhen communicating I think it’s important to connect it to something someone cares about, something in their daily lives."
— Filip Koprčina , Energy Shift, Young Energy Trailblazer Award Winner
➔ WATCH European Youth Energy Day - Hackathon award ceremonyYoung people have unique ideas, points of view and initiatives to share with us, and we need to make sure that these voices are heard."
— Anna Gumbau , EU climate and energy journalist/Moderator, Journalist
➔ WATCH European Youth Energy Day - Hackathon award ceremony- 27/10/2021 - EUSEW DAY 3
Highlighting good practices: crucial for showing stakeholders the way through complex permitting rules across Europe
➔ WATCH Delivering a new Green Deal recovery – European Energy Union in action There are still administrative and investment barriers that need to be tackled if we really want to move into the energy transition."
— Paula Abreu Marques , Head of Unit, DG ENER (Unit A.1), European Commission
➔ WATCH Delivering a new Green Deal recovery – European Energy Union in actionEnergy shifting: a key tool in addressing electricity surges and challenges to supply
➔ WATCH Energy Storage: Financing and economic signalsWomen in all their diversity are disproportionately impacted and affected by energy poverty, however they are some of the strongest actors enacting and demanding solutions."
— Martha Myers , Climate Justice and Energy Campaigner, Friends of the Earth Europe
➔ WATCH Gender justice in the energy poverty challenge in EuropeCross-sectoral approaches: a valuable tool for overcoming systemic inequalities
➔ WATCH Gender justice in the energy poverty challenge in EuropeWe must work together, and we must work on concrete projects with concrete and tangible results."
— Catharina Sikow-Magny , Director, DG ENER Directorate C, European Commission
➔ WATCH Financing renewables to deliver the European Green Deal: new options for cooperationThe times are over when member states should sit on their own and do their own projects [...] we need to take international cooperation to a new level."
— Morten Petersen , Member of the European Parliament
➔ WATCH Financing renewables to deliver the European Green Deal: new options for cooperationNew European Bauhaus has the ambition to bring Europeans together and transform daily life through sustainability, inclusion, and aesthetics
➔ WATCH New European Bauhaus: Connecting the EU Green Deal to our living spacesI think this is exactly the kind of city that is envisioned in the New European Bauhaus community: a city where beauty and wellbeing, and urban comfort, are meant for citizens."
— Francesca Poli , Architect, AESS Modena, Energy Cities Member Sustainable Development
➔ WATCH New European Bauhaus: Connecting the EU Green Deal to our living spacesThe word innovation can sometimes be the guarantee that nothing happens [...] innovation is not about tomorrow, it is about today."
— Dr Susanne Nies , Board Chair, currENT
➔ WATCH How to achieve climate neutrality through grid enhancing technologies?We need to change the way that we are valuing green investments, because it is not only about capital investment [...]. There is an intrinsic value in some of the grid enhancing and optimising technologies that is not reflected in today’s regulatory frameworks."
— Ivan Pineda , Director Public Affairs, WindEurope
➔ WATCH How to achieve climate neutrality through grid enhancing technologies?There is an important untapped potential for energy savings in the water sector, and especially in cities."
— Oriana Romano, Head of Unit - Water Governance and Circular Economy, OECD
➔ WATCH Fully exploiting the water-energy nexus: Measuring energy savings and CO2 emissions reductionWater and energy are very much closely linked and both are essential not only because they are at risk of scarcity, but because they are really important to ensure the reduction of emissions and in general the Green Deal implementation."
— Monica Frassoni, President, EU-ASE
➔ WATCH Fully exploiting the water-energy nexus: Measuring energy savings and CO2 emissions reductionPeople-centric focus: crucial in the case of buildings, where people can have a very personal relationship to the issue
➔ WATCH Research for policy: Energy efficiency and sustainable buildingsStreamlining of policy across the continent, but also in the member states, is the most efficient way to help local authorities."
— Anuschka Ruge, Project Manager, Climate Alliance
➔ WATCH Energy efficiency and sustainable buildingsReducing dependence on fossil fuel imports: energy efficiency has a key role to play in this
➔ WATCH Is the European Commission’s “Fit for 55” fit for the Paris Agreement and SDGs?Climate change and development are two sides of the same coin because we are here with the climate crisis as a result of how our economic models for development have been configured."
— Linus Mofor, Senior Environmental Affairs Officer - Energy, Infrastructure and Climate Change, African Climate Policy Centre
➔ WATCH Is the European Commission’s “Fit for 55” fit for the Paris Agreement and SDGs?It’s a complex ecosystem with different architectures [...]so we need to ensure interoperability while still having the driver, the consumer, at the centre."
— Norela Constantinescu, Head of Section Innovation, ENTSO-E
➔ WATCH Electric Vehicles and the Future of the Power SystemBeyond personal mobility: understanding the potential of electric vehicles requires examining the many complex ways they interact with other sectors
➔ WATCH Electric Vehicles and the Future of the Power SystemWe need all financial institutions to join up on energy efficiency and to ensure that we can scale up investments significantly."
— Tatiana Bosteels, Senior Economist, European Investment Bank
➔ WATCH Financial institutions enabling energy efficiency investments: Lessons from EEFIGIn order to be successful we must reach the entire market, rather than only the larger projects."
— Jessica Stromback, Managing Director, Joule Assets Europe
➔ WATCH Financial institutions enabling energy efficiency investments: Lessons from EEFIG- 26/10/2021 - EUSEW DAY 2
We need to put more attention on the positive economic impacts of energy efficiency on jobs, industry and competitiveness."
— Megan Gignac, International projects, OOe Energiesparverband
➔ WATCH The missing “WHY” for energy efficiency: Stronger narratives to drive progress in EU Member States Africa has contributed very little to climate change, and yet Africa is particularly vulnerable to its effects [...] there is a need for a just transition that recognises the specificities of Africa."
— Daniel Schroth, Acting Director for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, African Development Bank
➔ WATCH Supporting the just energy transition: Opportunities for Africa and AsiaFinalising Fit-for-55: we mustn’t water down proposals around PPAs
➔WATCH: Fit for 55: The Role of Corporates and PPAsEnergy efficiency first makes the transition to climate neutrality more affordable and attractive to consumers."
— Arianna Vitali, Secretary General Coalition for Energy Savings
➔ WATCH System efficiency: The enabler of a cost-effective decarbonisationDemand-side flexibility: a key driver for ensuring the move to climate neutrality is affordable.
➔ WATCH System efficiency: The enabler of a cost-effective decarbonisationWe need to have local solutions; and at the same time we need to scale up, and I think that’s one of the big challenges here."
— Thijs van den Oord, Project Manager & Technical Advisor for the Dutch demo-project, Syn.ikia
➔ WATCH Buildings at the heart of the EU’s new energy systemWe do think that engagement is a powerful tool, but also a difficult process that needs to be well managed."
— Chiara Tavella, Coordinator CoME EASY project, CEO, SPES Consulting
➔ WATCH Local authorities: How to get fit for the 55% target – Supporting Initiatives and best practicesBuy-in from member states: this will be boosted if we can show that what is good for the climate is good for the economy
➔ WATCH The European Solar Initiative: 20 GW of European PV production by 2025We are witnesses of history in the making: [...] what we are experiencing now is that solar will become the new oil."
— Walburga Hemetsberger, CEO, SolarPower Europe
➔ WATCH The European Solar Initiative: 20 GW of European PV production by 2025We need to transform our digital infrastructures and how they work, and we need to make them sustainable."
— Kim van Sparrentak, Member of the European Parliament
➔ WATCH Data centres: Can the cloud be climate neutral?A crucial aspect of the transition towards a climate neutral economy is to ensure that it happens in a fair way, leaving nobody behind."
— Dirk Beckers, Director, European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA)
➔ WATCH Lunchtime session: How CINEA delivers the EU Green DealWe have to have space to experiment so that we can develop new things."
— Tjisse Stelpstra, Regional Minister for Drenthe Province and Representative from S3 Hydrogen Valleys Partnership
➔ WATCH The key role of European regions in kick-starting and advancing the clean hydrogen economyBelieve in it, do it, join together: these are they keys to boosting a clean hydrogen economy
➔ WATCH The key role of European regions in kick-starting and advancing the clean hydrogen economyWe need to avoid policy making in silos: [...] we need to come to a policy regime which is more cross-cutting."
— Oliver Rapf, Executive Director, BPIE
➔ WATCH Towards zero-impact buildings: Making life cycle thinking the normInstead of the current practice of pushing impact further along a building’s life, we need to plan for performance across the entire lifespan of buildings."
— Judit Kimpian, Chair - Sustainable Architecture Group, Architects' Council of Europe
➔ WATCH Towards zero-impact buildings: Making life cycle thinking the normThe Western Balkans are now striving a lot to decarbonise not just the energy sector but also the heating sector."
— Violeta Kogalniceanu, Head of Infrastructure and Energy Efficiency Unit, Energy Community Secretariat
➔ WATCH Striving for decarbonisation in the Energy Community with renewable district heatingInvestment signals and incentives for electrification: clarity over complexity is needed for fast transformation
➔ WATCH Fit for 55 and beyond: Insights in the revised RED IIWhat is key for reaching this transition - and there is no doubt about this - is energy efficiency improvement and a faster deployment of renewables."
— Mechthild Wörsdörfer, Deputy Director-General of DG ENER, European Commission
➔ WATCH Fit for 55 and beyond: Insights in the revised RED IIEnergy efficiency is not only beneficial, [...] but it is also necessary if we want to achieve our climate targets."
— Simona De Lauretis, Senior Economist, RTE
➔ WATCH Energy efficiency first: From principle to realityWe need to encourage coexistence among sea-users and find the synergies between them."
— Felix Leinemann, Head of Unit - Blue Economy Sectors, Aquaculture and Maritime Spatial Planning, DG MARE (Unit A.2), European Commission
➔ WATCH Reinforcing sustainability of the offshore renewable energy sectorCircularity and a respect for biodiversity: these need to be key considerations in the development of offshore renewables
➔ WATCH Reinforcing sustainability of the offshore renewable energy sectorYou need to look at it from a macro perspective and really look at flexibility of demand and supply."
— Leen Peeters, CEO, Th!nk-E
➔ WATCH Energy community engagement in local flexibility marketsImproving the quality of life of residents of a building: this is a fundamental benefit of holistic deep energy renovation
➔ WATCH Building renovation: Riding the waveWe really only have one shot when we build a new building to get it right."
— Adrian Joyce, Secretary General, EuroACE
➔ WATCH Building renovation: Riding the wave- 25/10/2021 - EUSEW DAY 1
We must speed up the move from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Every kilowatt of electricity produced with renewable energy is not only an insurance against rising energy prices; it also helps us to reduce our dependency on imports, making both our society and our economy more resilient and our planet a healthier place."
— Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commision
➔ WATCH Opening Session The reason for the energy crisis is not too much green transition, but too little."
— Niels Fuglsang, Member of European Parliament, Rapporteur for the Energy Efficiency Directive review
➔ WATCH Opening SessionInvest in connections so that we can do things together."
— Rafał Trzaskowski, Mayor of Warsaw, City of Warsaw
➔ WATCH Debate With AmbassadorsShowcasing, inspiring, creating impact: these are key benefits of sharing success stories in the EUSEW awards
➔ WATCH EUSEW Awards CeremonyLess bureaucracy, less costs, and a better matching of supply and demand: these are the key benefits of citizens housing associations
➔ WATCH A Citizen-Led Renovation Wave2050 may seem like a long time, but in terms of climate change it’s very soon. We need your ideas, we need your enthusiasm and your talent."
— Cristina Lobillo Borrero, Director, Directorate-General for Energy, European Commission
➔ WATCH Launch Of The European Youth Energy Communication HackathonWe need numbers first in order to be able to act: this will be key to the value of the Equality Platform
➔ WATCH An Equality Platform For The Energy Sector: Commission’s Official Launch and ➔ Apply to become a memberAlthough we have a gender equality strategy [...] when it comes to spending money, gender evaporates."
— Kata Tüttő, Deputy-mayor BudapestWhen it comes to the green transition, we know the EU cannot do it alone: we have to do it together
➔ WATCH Energy Transition: Enabling The Global Green DealThe next year should focus on implementation and not any more on negotiation."
— Khalida Bouzar, IRENADecarbonisation: the key to protecting our planet, but also boosting social and economic resilience across Europe.
Climate neutrality: a real gamechanger, because the transition will affect every business, every citizen, and every public body in the EU.
Showcasing, inspiring, creating impact: these are key benefits of sharing success stories in the EUSEW awards.
What innovators want is cases that can be replicated across different countries."
— Diego Pavia, CEO, InnoEnergy, EUSEW Awards CeremonyBeing more proactive will help us to increase the pace of change."
— Christiane Egger, Deputy General Manager, OÖ Energiesparverband, EUSEW Awards Ceremony
➔ WATCH EUSEW Awards CeremonyThe 2030 target is like a lighthouse: it shines a light that guides the way for our citizens and stakeholders to follow the path of the clean energy transition and safely reach climate neutrality."
— Kadri Simson, European Commissioner for Energy, Opening SessionSupporting a just transition: reskilling and entrepreneurship programmes will be key to manage the social implications of the green transition."
— Jürgen Rigterink, First Vice-President, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Opening SessionThe reason for the energy crisis is not too much green transition, but too little."
— Niels Fuglsang, Member of European Parliament, Rapporteur for the Energy Efficiency Directive review, Opening SessionDecarbonisation: the key to protecting our planet, but also boosting social and economic resilience across Europe.
The EU Green Deal: this is the world’s most advanced blueprint to reduce emissions, and Europe’s calling card on the world’s stage.
We must speed up the move from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Every kilowatt of electricity produced with renewable energy is not only an insurance against rising energy prices; it also helps us to reduce our dependency on imports, making both our society and our economy more resilient and our planet a healthier place."
— Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commision
➔ WATCH Opening SessionHear what other participants are saying and join the conversation over on Twitter with #EUSEW2021.