Conference Summary

Some of the world's most distinguished experts on energy technology joined EU policy makers and legislators in Brussels on May 4^th 2010 for a day-long Financial Times Conference, in association with ExxonMobil.

'Transforming Europe's Energy Future' was the title of the conference, which was held at the Sofitel Brussels Hotel, in front of a hand-picked audience of 150 leading figures from European business, government, media, academia and civil society.

Chairman for the day was Financial Times Energy Editor, Ed Crooks, one of the most respected journalists in this field. Ed opened the conference by introducing keynote speeches from two leading energy officials from the European Commission.

Philip Lowe, the Commission's Director General for Energy set the policy agenda by outlining the EU's strategy for reaching the ambitious '20-20-20' targets: cutting greenhouse gases by 20%; reducing energy consumption by 20% through increased energy efficiency; and meeting 20% of Europe's energy needs from renewable sources.

Mr Lowe was followed by Dr Giovanni Frederigo De Santi, Director of the Institute for Energy at the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission. Dr De Santi provided the detail behind the EUs behind big policy objectives, and how different energy technologies - including wind, solar, CCS, and Generation IV Nuclear - will be deployed to meet them. One of the themes which emerged from Dr De Santi's speech was the need for much more investment in Europe's energy infrastructure - up to 50 billion Euros over the next ten years. In particular, there needs to be a substantial upgrading of the electricity grid to enable the integration of significantly more renewable energy.

The opening part of the conference also included Ed Crooks in conversation with Mr Kaname Ikeda, Director General of the ITER Project, a collaboration between China, EU, India, Japan, Korea, Russia and the USA to design and build an experimental fusion reactor. Mr Ikeda gave an optimistic assessment of the prospects for the project reaching a positive conclusion by mid-century.

After the opening sessions, it was then over to Ed Crooks to host three set-piece debates on energy technology, taking us from the present day through to the long-term horizon and the breakthrough science which could lead to a secure, low carbon energy future.

The first session was called 'Kick-Starting the Energy Transformation', which looked at how immediate term technologies could contribute to the 20:20:20 EU targets and greater energy security over the next decade.

There were many highlights in this lively debate. Peter Alderliesten of the Energy Research Centre in the Netherlands, made a passionate case for the European Commission to provide more detailed plans for energy efficiency as part of the 20:20:20 strategy. Jose Antonio Malumbres, Chief Technology Officer of Gemesa, a Spanish-based renewable energy company, made a persuasive case for wind power playing a major role in Europe's energy future over the next decade.

Moving to transportation, Nazeer Bhore, Senior Technology Advisor, Corporate Strategic Planning at ExxonMobil, talked in detail about the large efficiency gains that can be made by improving existing engine technology. Nazeer also described some of the breakthroughs that his company is helping to research, including on-board hydrogen generation technology. Professor Raymond Freymann, Managing Director, BMW Group Research & Technology, raised the important issue of whether consumers would be willing to pay thousands more Euros for the next generation of electric-powered cars 

Finally, Alyn Smith, Member of the European Parliament for Scotland, talked about the need for policy makers to avoid 'picking winners' on energy technology and the need for enhanced EU attention on improving energy efficiency.

The second half of the conference kicked off in the afternoon with a keynote speech from Michael J. Dolan, Senior Vice President of ExxonMobil. Mr Dolan's speech was entitled 'Enabling the Search for Energy Solutions', which described the practical realities governing technological innovation, four key elements of an effective energy strategy, and the importance of free markets and stable public policy in advancing energy solutions. best roles which industry, government and science can play in that strategy.

Several of Mr Dolan's themes were picked up by the panel on the second set-piece debate: 'Focussing on Mid-Term Objectives and Challenges'. Stuart Haszeldine, Professor of Geology at Edinburgh University, expanded on the challenges to realising the potential of Carbon Capture and Storage. One of the biggest barriers, said Professor Haszeldine, was public acceptance of CCS projects. Dr Ganesh Kishore, CEO of the Malaysian Life Sciences Capital Fund, delivered a lively speech on the critical role bio-engineering should play in future energy solutions.

Completing the second panel were Dr Arnulf Jaeger-Waldau, an expert on solar power from the European Commission's Joint Research Centre, Livio Gallo, Managing Director of Infrastructure and Networks of Italys Enel and a world expert on smart grids, and Dr Bernice Lee, Research Director, Energy, Environment and Resource Governance at the UK's Royal Institute for International Affairs (Chatham House). One of the key issues raised was the need for enhanced cooperation across national borders as well as among corporations to deliver on mid-term energy solutions.

The last panel of the day moved into the long-term future, and what Europe's energy mix might look like by 2050. Philippe Garderet, Scientific Vice President from French energy giant Areva, described the promise and potential of 'Generation IV' nuclear power. Professor David Klug, Chair of the Chemical Biology Centre at Imperial College London, entertained the room with a vivid description of his research into artificial photosynthesis - copying and improving the way plants convert sunlight energy, water and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates and oxygen, and creating a 'plant-like' fuel source. Finally, John C. Mankins, a former NASA scientist, and now President of the Solar Space Association, explained why the idea of collecting solar power in space and delivering it via wireless power transmission to Earth was a realistic proposition.

At the end of a day which proved that the world has no shortage of future energy solutions, the delegates were asked to vote on whether they were optimistic that Europe could create a secure, low-carbon energy future by 2050. The answer was a resounding 'yes'.