Panel IV SDG 7: Affordable and clean energy

and SDG 13: climate action

DI Peter Traupmann

Austrian Energy Agency

THE AUSTRIAN ENERGY AGENCY

DI Peter Traupmann, Vienna Energy Forum, 11 May 2017

Vienna Energy Forum 2017

Panel IV: SDG 7: Affordable and clean energy and SDG 13: climate action

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AUSTRIAN ENERGY AGENCY (AEA)

• Austria‘s national Energy Agency (founded in 1977)

• 90 employees, 7.5 million Euros annual turnover

• Independent association: knowledge management, decision-making support, development/implementation of energy policy measures

President: Minister of Environment

Andrä Rupprechter

Vice-President: Vice-Chancellor and Minister of Economy

Reinhold Mitterlehner

Vice-President: Governor of Tyrol

Günther Platter

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MAIN WORKING AREAS

Renewable Energy Sources

Innovative Mobility

Energy Efficiency

Innovative Energy

technologies

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AEA IS THE MONITORING AGENCY FOR THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY ACT IN AUSTRIA

BMWFW(Auftraggeber)

Energy suppliers

Energy consuming Enterprises

Energy service providers

Public authorities

Affected groups

IT service provider (third party)

Federal Ministry of Science, Research and

Economy

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WE EVALUATE AUSTRIA‘S PROGRESS IN REGARD TO ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Developing methods for the calculation of energy savings

Evaluating the status quo of

target completion

Definition of data flows between all affected parties

Assessing the qualification of energy service providers

Preparation of Energy efficiency action plans

and other reports

Assess energy consumption of public buildings

Controlling of the companies‘

obligation

Observing the Austrian market

for energy services

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KLIMAAKTIV CLIMATE PROGRAMME

Management & Coordination

Austrian Energy Agency

education & training / communication / partnermanagement /

communities

Strategic Steering Ministry of Environment

buildings energy efficiency renewables mobility

Implementation of programms

Operated by several institutions

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• CA-RES supports Member States in the implementation of the EU Renewable

Energy Directive through a structured exchange of experience and best-practice

• Participants are national authorities responsible for the implementation of the EU

RES Directive or bodies appointed by national authorities

• EU Member States + Norway and Iceland participate

• The Austrian Energy Agency coordinates the CA-RES since 2010

• Current Core Themes are:

CONCERTED ACTION ON THE RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES DIRECTIVE (CA-RES)

CT1: RES Electricity

CT2: RES Heat

CT3: Guarantees of Origin/Disclosure

CT4: Biomass Mobilisation and Sustainability

CT5: RES in Transport

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AEA EXPERIENCE WITH TRAINING ON ENERGY EFFICIENCY

• Development and organization of standardized trainings for energy auditors and technical staff of companies within the national programme “klimaaktiv” since 2008

• certified training partner for Austria for the International Performance Measurement & Verification Protocol (IPMVP)

• certified as a qualified training organization according the international standard ISO 29990

• Establishment of the “AEA Academy” in November 2014

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• Support energy policy development and implementation in developing and emerging countries

• Implementation of Renewable Energy Directive and Energy Efficiency Directive in neighbouring countries of the EU

• Harmonisation with EU policies in these areas helps strengthening international energy markets and supporting climate mitigation measures

• Support regional cooperation on renewable energy and energy efficiency in developing and emerging countries

• Regional cooperation holds substantial potential to facilitate low-carbon development but it requires a well-coordinated interplay between financing, technology, policy and regulatory frameworks and institutions

AEA FOCUS AT INTERNATIONAL LEVEL

EU RES Directive

EU Energy

Efficiency Directive

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• Training in conception, implementation and evaluation of energy efficiency policies and measures for relevant stakeholders (e.g. energy efficiency

• Support the development and implementation of climate-friendly mobility management for cities, regions, public services

• Standardisation of the estimation of energy savings, cost savings and revenues of energy efficiency projects in developing and emerging countries

AEA FOCUS AT THE INTERNATIONAL LEVEL

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• Strengthening existing partnerships at the local, regional, national and international level within and between countries will be an integral factor in taking the Paris Agreement forward

• Actors will need to work together to support developing and emerging countries in building up local capacity and developing sustainable energy and climate policies

• It is only with the ownership by developing countries that actions can be sustainable and effective in the long run

• The Austrian Energy Agency puts emphasis on sharing its experiences and lessons learned with other countries

• The AEA pays attention to ensuring local ownership of strategies, plans and programmes

STRENGTHENING INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AND ENSURING LOCAL OWNERSHIP

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AEA INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES

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• Sizeable investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency are required to complete the transition towards a low-carbon energy system

• Investment flows must rapidly move away from fossil fuels to free financial resources for renewables and energy efficiency

• Climate financing instruments can support the mobilisation of the required higher upfront investments and help making access to affordable capital for low-carbon technologies easier

ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE CAPITAL FOR RENEWABLES AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY

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• An additional key aspect is levelling the playing field in energy markets

• It is essential to end subsidies and public finance for fossil fuels

• Fossil fuel subsidies are a substantial burden for the economy and government budgets, in addition to having negative impacts on health and air pollution

• Open and transparent energy markets are necessary to accomplish the transition to a low-carbon energy system

• In well-functioning and non-distorted markets, energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies are competitive

ENDING FOSSIL FUEL SUBSIDIES

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• Energy efficiency and renewable energy can provide cost-effective energy services

• Through innovation, the costs of the technologies have been reduced substantially in the past years

• However, some technologies have initially high capital costs and low-income households may not be able to afford them

• Given budget constraints, low-income households are reluctant to make sizeable upfront investments in energy efficient equipment and/or renewable energy services

• At the same time, climate change will have a disproportionate impact on the poorest and most vulnerable communities

• Need for innovative credit schemes and business models that enable low-income consumers to spread high initial cost over the life of equipment

AFFORDABILITY OF RENEWABLES AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY FOR LOW-INCOME POPULATION

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• Energy efficiency and renewable energy can stimulate growth, create new jobs, improve health conditions, while also paving the way for new educational opportunities for low-income population

• Thus, enabling the poor and the vulnerable access to energy efficiency and renewable energy at affordable rates is essential

• In doing so, synergies between energy efficiency and renewable energy must be exploited to increase cost-effectiveness by reducing the size of the renewable energy systems required

RENEWABLE ENERGY AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY FOR POVERTY ERADICATION

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• Supporting the implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) is key for making the Paris Agreement a reality

• Specifically, countries must be supported with project preparation and development of concrete funding proposals

• Projects in renewable energy and energy efficiency can have a substantial contribution to the implementation of NDCs

SUPPORTING IMPLEMENTATION OF NDC

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• Synergies between mitigation and adaptation to climate change should be exploited

• Seeking co-benefits may also lead to reduce costs of implementation of measures and help overcome the division in the financial resources mobilised by the international community

• Dynamically growing urban areas, which have increasing energy needs and larger vulnerability, are particularly suited to harness synergies

• Renewable energy and energy efficiency have an important role in cities, and their deployment should be coordinated to that of other urban infrastructure and public services to exploit synergies between adaptation and mitigation.

SYNERGIES BETWEEN MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION

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• Innovation has also a major role in achieving both SDG 7 (energy) and SDG13 (climate action)

• Combining the knowledge of technology manufacturers, local communities, market actors, the academic sector and others by fostering partnerships between these actors in developing and industrialised countries is key to deliver low-carbon energy services that suit local demands

• Innovation can:

– increase the involvement of citizens in clean energy projects,

– make government response more agile and informed,

– support new financing structures and

– contribute to developing new business models for low-carbon energy services

THE ROLE OF INNOVATION

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• Simple solutions, such as clean cooking stoves, can extend the number of hours that poor families can dedicate to alternative pursuits, such as work and study

• Since women and children, mostly girls, are responsible for preparing food and collecting firewood in poor households, a lessening of this burden contributes to free their capacity

• However, gender action should not be limited to this area

• The role of women in energy policy, energy suppliers and businesses related to energy efficiency and renewable energy should be strongly enhanced

• Training and education to harness women power should be a priority

GENDER INEQUALITY

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THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION

Dipl. Ing. Peter Traupmann

Managing Director

Mariahilfer Straße 136, A-1150, Vienna, Austria

office@energyagency.at

https://www.energyagency.at/

Tel No. +43-1-58615247-0