Skip to Main Content

CEET Launches Webinar Series: Insights and Innovations for a Sustainable Energy Future

By Council of Engineers for Energy Transition (CEET)

The Council of Engineers for the Energy Transition (CEET) is excited to announce the launch of a new webinar series aimed at fostering dialogue and collaboration on key issues related to the global energy transition.

Under the auspices of the United Nations Secretary-General, the CEET is a global, high-level body of engineers and energy systems experts contributing to the UN’s mission of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. It is jointly chaired by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).

Through this series, the CEET seeks to:

  • Foster understanding and dialogue around the core challenges of the global energy transition.
  • Build cohesion and solidarity among CEET experts and UN counterparts to identify and promote no-regret solutions.
  • Highlight leading voices across key sectors essential to decarbonization.
  • Close knowledge gaps to support the effective implementation of solutions for the energy transition.

Each webinar will spotlight recent CEET Issue Briefs and will be co-hosted by UN agency partners. The first four webinars will focus on energy ratings labels, retrofitting and repurposing coal power plants, clean cooking to advance the SDG Agenda, and the potential of biomethane for clean fuel and sustainable shipping.

Stay tuned for more information and registration details. This webpage will be regularly updated as more details about each webinar are released.

Achieving a Managed Fossil Fuel Phaseout: Retrofitting and Repurposing Coal Power Plants in Asia

Date: Tuesday, May 27, 2025
Time: 8:00 AM EDT | 2:00 PM CEST | 8:00 PM CST | 10:00 PM AEST
Host Organizations: CEET, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP)
Registration: Link

This 75-minute event will explore the technical, financial, and policy solutions needed to phase out coal, retrofit/repurpose existing fossil fuel infrastructure, and accelerate large-scale renewable energy development and deployment.

With the power sector responsible for over 42% of global carbon dioxide emissions, a managed phaseout of fossil fuels is critical to meet global climate goals, including keeping the 1.5°C target of the Paris Agreement in reach. One method to achieve decarbonization that prioritizes energy system reliability and economic resilience is the retrofitting and repurposing of existing power plants. In Asia in particular, the primary challenge in reducing emissions associated with energy is phasing out coal power, given that the region is home to 78% of the world’s coal electricity production. Coal power plants in the region can be retrofitted or repurposed to contribute to the managed phaseout of fossil fuels, both in the Asian region and around the world.

Speakers:

  • Rana Ghoneim, UNIDO and CEET Co-Chair Proxy
  • Emi Minghui Gui, Energy System - Lead, Monash Sustainable Development Institute and CEET Member
  • Jaideep Sandhu, Chief Technology Officer, Renewables Global Business Unit at ENGIE SA and CEET Member
  • Michael Williamson, Section Chief, Energy Division, UN ESCAP
  • Nitin Arora, Project Manager, UN Climate Change Global Innovation Hub (UGIH)

PAST SESSIONS:

Energy Rating Labels and the Potential for Energy Savings

Date: Tuesday, April 15, 2025

Host Organizations: CEET, UN Environment Programme (UNEP)'s United 4 Efficiency (U4E)

Registration: Link

Implementing high energy efficiency performance standards and energy rating labels for appliances and other equipment can save massive amounts of electricity and increase energy access around the world. The rating label schemes that follow best practices in energy label design and align with other policy measures drive the most significant shift towards higher efficiency products. On this topic, the CEET and U4E launch a sixty-minute webinar focusing on end-use products, regional centers, and the role of harmonizing standards to boost energy efficiency.

Speakers:

  • Patrick Blake, Programme Officer, United for Efficiency (U4E)
  • Saikiran Kasamsetty, Energy Efficiency Specialist, United for Efficiency (U4E)
  • Nida Rizwan Farid, Founder and Chief Engineer, NRF Engineering and CEET member
  • Readlay Makaliki, Lead Technical Expert, SADC Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (SACREEE)
  • Dan Sullivan, Deputy Secretary, International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)

Other webinars soon to be confirmed:

  • Cooking for Climate: Solutions for Clean Cooking to Advance the SDG Agenda
  • Transforming Waste and Unlocking Biomethane’s Potential for Clean Fuel and Sustainable Shipping