The G20 Summit and Energy Efficiency

The Global Smart Grid Federation welcomes the fact that the G20 Summit in Brisbane Summit was the first time that G20 leaders have had a session dedicated to global energy issues. Energy is now at the heart of the G20’s agenda and G20 Energy Ministers will meet for the first time next year to take this work forward. The G20 countries  represent more than 80% of global energy consumption, 60% of oil and gas production and over 90% of coal production. Their combined effort will bring together most of the world’s biggest energy producers and consumers.

The G20 Energy Efficiency Action Plan identifies six areas where increased global action will take place:

• Improving vehicle energy efficiency and  emissions performance
• Appliances linked to networks,
• Improving buildings metrics and performance,
• Industrial energy management: Making  industrial processes more energy efficient,
• Electricity generation: Sharing high-efficiency, low-emissions technologies;
• Enhancing capital flows to energy efficiency investments.

Within the context of this plan other key elements include:

• Providing access to affordable, reliable energy as this is integral to economic growth and development.
• Connecting the  1.3 billion people who are still lacking  access to electricity.
• Strong and well-functioning energy markets are essential to resilient economies and are also critical to energy security.

From a grid modernisation and smart technology view point there are several aspects that come close to the heart of the Global Smart Grid Federation.

Under the action point of ‘Networked Devices’ it states that participating countries will work together to accelerate the development of new ways to improve the energy efficiency of  networked devices. In 2015, this work will include consideration of  options for goals for reducing the global standby mode energy consumption of networked devices.

On the topic of ‘ Improving building metrics and performance’:  Participating countries will work together to take forward recent IPEEC Building Energy Efficiency Task Group (BEET) recommendations, including by furthering collaboration on best practices in national building codes, metrics, rating, labelling and disclosure.

Under ‘Industrial Energy Management’ the action plan states that in order to  make industrial processes more energy efficient, participating countries will cooperate to accelerate the work of the existing IPEEC Global Superior Energy Performance Partnership (GSEP)  Energy Management Working Group and the Energy Management Action Network (EMAK) Task Group.

And finally under ‘Electricity Generation’ the proposed action take is  to sharing high-efficiency, low-emissions

Technologies. Participating countries will work together, through the existing IPEEC GSEP Power Working Group, to develop a detailed implementation plan  for sharing knowledge of high-efficiency, low emissions electricity  generation technologies that are consistent with our climate activities  and commitments.

The Global Smart Grid Federation looks forward to play its role in assisting the G20 countries to deliver on these action points.

> For a full overview of the G20 Efficiency Energy Pan see: https://www.g20.org/sites/default/files/g20_resources/library/g20_energy_efficiency_action_plan.pdf