Discussions of the 2nd Funseam International Symposium focus on sustainability and innovation
Worldwide executives from leading energy companies, representatives of government institutions and prestigious experts on R&D gathered on 27th and 28th January at the Parc Científic de Barcelona (PCB) during the "II Funseam International Symposium on Innovation and Sustainable Energy". The forum was organized by the Foundation for Energy and Environmental Sustainability (Funseam) and the Department of Energy Sustainability of the University of Barcelona (UB), affiliated to the Barcelona Institute of Economics (IEB).
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The first meeting that took place yerterday 27th January was focused on business matters and It was organised by Funseam. The conference was opened by Antonio Llardén, president of Funseam and Enagas; Antoni Brufau, president of Repsol; and Salvador Gabarró, president of Natural Gas Fenosa.
Llardén highlighted that “innovation can play a key role in achieving a sustainable model,” reason why ” energy companies make a significant effort in this regard by investing in R&D+ i projects and by developing innovative energy saving systems” and revealed that “some of the of the world’s most prestigious sustainability indexes, according to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index, have included 17 Spanish companies, 7 of which are energy-based.”
The various sessions of the conference were chaired by María Teresa Costa Campi, director of the Chair in Energy Sustainability UB-IEB and former president of the Spanish National Energy Commission (CNE); Maria Luisa Castaño , general manager of Innovation and Competitiveness of the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness; Martí Parellada, professor of Applied Economics and director of IEB; and Jorge Mercado, representative of the Inter-American Development Bank.
Rafael Villaseca, president of the Energy Club, gave the inaugural lecture “General issues of the energy sector in Spain.” Lord Mogg, chairman of the Council of European Energy Regulators (CEER), discussed the policies of energy regulatory agencies. Next, leading experts presented the most innovative projects that are being carried out in different countries around the world. One of these experts was Spanish researcher, Laura Diaz Anadon, working at Harvard University.
The closing ceremony was conducted by Antonio Brufau, Francisco Salazar, president of the Energy Regulatory Commission of Mexico and the Iberoamerican Association of Energy Regulatory Agencies, and Pere Palacín, general director of the Energy Department of the Generalitat of Catalonia.
The conference featured the collaboration of the main Spanish energy companies: Repsol, Endesa, ACS, Enagas, CLH, Gas Natural-Fenosa, CEPSA, HC-EDP, Iberdrola and Acciona; leading technology companies, and other internationally renowned institutions.
Academic conference
The academic session that took place today, 28th January, was organised by the Chair in Energy Sustainability of the UB. It was opened by he Catalan minister for Economy and Competitiveness, Andreu Mas-Colell; the rector of UB, Dídac Ramírez, and the UB professor and director of the Barcelona Economics Institute (IEB), Martí Parellada. M. Teresa Costa Campi, presented the plenary session entitled “Why and how to support energy R&D” in which Michael Pollitt, from the Cambridge Judge Business School participated.
During his speech, Mas-Colell emphasized the remarkable research on energy policies and the importance of the collaboration between private and public companies that take place in Barcelona. He mentioned the Catalonia Institute for Energy Research (IREC) as an example of cooperation.
For his part, Dídac Ramírez affirmed that the energy sector “is key to economic growth”, and he enumerated some of the most important R&D challenges that must be faced regarding climate change. The rector of UB also highlighted that universities play a major role in researching and introducing improvements in the sector and the companies that compose it. In this sense, UB is committed to renewable energies thanks to the Chair in Energy Sustainability UB-IEB.
The conference brought together top-ranking researchers and academics from prestigious universities and research centers from around the world, who presented their views on the role of R&D in the energy sector. The simposium was brought to a close by Jean- Michael Glachant, from the European University Institute.
