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Regional Engineering Approaches to Green Energy Transition - CEET at the HLPF

By Helen Perham, SDSN

The Council of Engineers for the Energy Transition (CEET) convened at the United Nations for an official side event to the High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development to discuss scaling the energy transition at the regional level.

Members of the Council of Engineers for the Energy Transition (CEET) met in person and online on July 11th, 2023 for an official UN High Level Political Forum (HLPF) side event titled “Regional Engineering Approaches to Scale the Green Energy Transition.” The event was co-hosted by UNIDO, SDSN, and GEIDCO.

Council members from five different regions produced summary presentations about their vision statements, challenges & risks, recommendations, best practices, and case studies. Common themes across regions were concerns about energy transmission and distribution, carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS), an affordable and just energy transition, and increased investment in technology and infrastructure improvements (ex. electricity grids, and transportation).


Key takeaways on approaches from each region include:

Africa:

  • Innovation and human capacity building are imperative for the transformation of the African energy industry into a climate-resilient, low-emission, and sustainable energy system.
  • Enhancing and upgrading grid infrastructure is crucial for expanding electricity access and renewable energy integration.
  • African governments are still relying on natural gas as a transition fuel to boost energy access.

Europe:

  • The EU would benefit from an energy “cockpit” (digital) for smart EU member state decisions. This would be a body that helps to offer the best solutions to local challenges.
  • Smart AI integrated infrastructure can be used to increase the efficiency of the system.
  • Investments are still required in multiple sources of renewable energy.

Western Asia:

  • Digital technologies and blockchain integration are being adopted by entities like the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) for automation and optimization in the power, water, EV charging, and oil/gas sectors.
  • Pan-Arab strategies are driving renewable energy deployment, energy access, efficiency, and water desalination.
  • There is a growing emphasis on CCUS initiatives, including the Al Jubail CCUS industrial hub, and increasing human capacity via R&D can further support the green energy transition.

Asia Pacific:

  • Decarbonizing thousands of GW of coal-fired generation assets is technologically challenging, especially if considering retrofitting and reutilization of these assets with CCUS, co-firing plants.
  • Weak electricity grid and system control need to be strengthened in-country and across borders for better stability and reliability of the grid, facilitating the development and integration of more renewable energy.
  • Due to the digital gap between different countries, digital technology has not fully played its role in promoting green energy transition in some countries, such as digital collection, data analysis, and smart controlling of the traditional energy systems.

Latin America and Caribbean (LAC):

  • LAC low carbon industry has a great opportunity for renewables supply chain relocation, while ensuring the region’s economic recovery. Abundant and competitive renewable sources position LAC as a strong player in green hydrogen global geopolitics.
  • Access, clean cooking, and poverty require technical and financial solutions, which could be combined with other services such as water and telecommunications to increase affordability.
  • Focus on technological solutions to accelerate the integration of renewable energy in the Caribbean is needed, islands continue to face bigger challenges than other regions.

Beyond the transformation of the energy sector, the discussion also explored the transformation of the interfaces of energy with other sectors. The CEET’s vision statement states that “the overarching goal of the energy transition is to decarbonize the global energy systems by mid-century, enhance climate resilience and bring prosperity to all regions of the world.”


Learn more about the Council of Engineers for the Energy Transition (CEET).