"Energy transition: full speed ahead!" – this was the motto of the World Sustainable Energy days 2022! The conference presented the comprehensive transformation of policies, technologies and markets for achieving climate neutrality, and how to raise the pace of change. The event was held from 5-8 April 2022 in Wels/Austria as a hybrid event: over 650 experts from 55 countries participated in the conference, over 60 % of them on-site in Wels.

 

The conference programme

 

The World Sustainable Energy Days (WSED) are an international conference on the energy transition and global climate neutrality. In 2022, the WSED offered the following complementary events:

 

• European Pellet Conference
• Young Energy Researchers Conference
• European Energy Efficiency Conference
• Energy Efficiency Policy Conference
• Industrial Energy Efficiency Conference
• Smart E-Mobility Conference
• Innovation Workshops

European Pellet Conference

 

Biomass is a cornerstone for the success of the clean energy transition in Europe and globally. It also has a very important role to play in Europe's decarbonisation. The European Pellet Conference 2022 was once again the meeting place for the global pellet community. It presented latest trends in markets, policies, technologies and innovations – helping the participants stay on top of developments in the pellet and bioenergy world. The event showed how firing up pellet markets can boost the energy transition and how to position pellets as an important climate solution!

 

With more than 400 participants each year, the European Pellet Conference in Wels/Austria is the largest annual pellet event worldwide.

 

The European Pellet Conference 2022 took place on Wednesday, 6 April, as a hybrid event. It started with the strategy session "Fuelling the energy transition with pellets!", which showed how the pellet sector can profit from this deep transformation. Afterwards, in the "Pellet Leadership Forum" leading biomass experts shared their views and insights on burning topics about the future of pellets and the development of pellet markets.

 

Other highlights of the Pellet Conference were the "Pellet Innovation Factory", which showcased innovations in pellet technologies, projects and solutions across the bioenergy value chain, and the "World of Pellets Session", where international experts offered updates and outlooks on pellet markets around the world.

 

European Energy Efficiency Conference

 

The new "Fit for 55" package aims to put the EU on track towards climate neutrality. Energy accounts for 75 % of GHG emissions. Speeding up energy efficiency is critical!

 

In 2022, the European Energy Efficiency Conference showed how to raise the pace of change, how to increase acceptance, trigger investments and get things moving. The event took place on 7-8 April and offered delegates a comprehensive package of five conferences.

 

The event featured an update on the new EU directives, presented key innovations for the industrial energy transition and informed about smart e-mobility. Experts from all over the world discussed latest research results, successful energy efficiency policies and programmes, and presented innovative best practice examples.

 

The European Energy Efficiency Conference 2022 offered a comprehensive package of five specialised events:

 

• Energy Efficiency Policy Conference
• Industrial Energy Efficiency Conference
• Young Energy Efficiency Researchers Conference
• Smart E-Mobility Conference
• Innovation Workshops

Energy Efficiency Policy Conference

 

The Energy Efficiency Policy Conference took place on Thursday, 7 April. It started with the session "Fast tracking energy efficiency: Fit for 55", which offered insights into the "Fit for 55" package and how this new and comprehensive policy framework supports energy efficiency. This was followed by the session "Driving energy efficiency investments", showcasing well-designed recovery plans which lead the way forward in using clean energy as an agent for economic revival.

 

This session presented how to make clean energy investments happen at national and regional levels in Europe and beyond. The session "Engaging and empowering citizens" took a closer look on the key role citizens play. The policy framework and opportunities for engaging and empowering them for energy efficiency were presented.

 

The Energy Efficiency Policy Conference was organised in the context of the H2020 "Energy Efficiency Watch 4" project: www.energy-efficiency-watch.org

 

Industrial Energy Efficiency Conference

 

A step change in the industrial energy transition is a key factor both for economic competitiveness and the overall energy transition. The Industrial Energy Efficiency Conference on Thursday afternoon started with the session "Driving the industrial energy transition", which focussed on key developments and sustainable energy solutions that support industrial companies in doing "better business" instead of "business as usual". 

 

The following session "Energy flexibility for a clean and digital transformation" placed emphasis on energy flexibility, digitalisation and innovations in storage technology solutions, which enable companies' participation in energy markets, support their decarbonisation ambitions and impact positively their overall competitiveness. Finally, the session "Striving for climate neutrality: examples worth replicating" showcased success stories of industrial companies tackling their energy transition.

 

Smart E-Mobility Conference

 

Sales of electric vehicles rose sharply in the last two years, and e-mobility achieved a market breakthrough in many countries. "Ready for tomorrow, today" was the motto of the Smart E-Mobility Conference on 8 April. It offered updates on policies and technologies that are powering up the e-mobility sector.

 

The innovation session "Business models and charging solutions" presented innovative business models and cutting-edge charging solutions that enable the large-scale rollout of e-mobility. Successful practice examples completed the conference programme.

 

Young Energy Researchers Conference

 

Every year, the Young Energy Researchers Conference presents the work and achievements of young energy researchers in the fields of biomass and energy efficiency. Young researchers from all over the world were invited to take part in a Call for Papers. More than 70 papers were submitted by young energy researchers. A high-level scientific committee selected papers for oral and poster presentations. These were presented by young energy researchers from over 30 countries in two conference sessions – biomass and energy efficiency – as well as in the context of a poster presentation. The Best Young Energy Researcher Awards were presented to:

 

• Best Young Biomass Researcher: Malin Pettersson for the paper "Enabling wood ash recycling to ensure sustainable forest utilisation"
• Best Young Energy Efficiency Researcher: Henrique Lagoeiro and Matt Wegner for the paper "Recovering waste heat from the London underground: sizing the opportunity"

Innovation Workshops

 

Two workshops rounded off the WSED programme by presenting the latest results from EU funded projects in the fields of sustainable buildings and innovative technologies. The workshops on Friday afternoon were held in two parallel sessions:

 

• Renewable heating & cooling in the residential sector, organised in the context of the H2020 project REPLACE
• EnerMaps: Open-access energy data management, organised in the context of the H2020 project EnerMaps

Poster presentation

 

A poster presentation was an integrated part of the WSED. Around 60 companies and organisations took this opportunity to showcase their energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. This also included the poster presentation of selected young energy researchers.

 

Voting

 

An interactive element, "the voting", was an integrated part of the conference procedure. During the sessions, the audience was invited to answer questions regarding its behaviour and opinions on various conference topics.

 

Energiesparmesse

 

The "Energiesparmesse", a leading tradeshow on energy efficiency and renewable energy took place in parallel to the World Sustainable Energy Days. More than 70,000 visitors took part in 2022.

 

The OÖ Energiesparverband presented its comprehensive services at a large exhibition stand in Hall 20 where energy advisers were available to offer advice and information on energy efficiency and renewable energy sources. In addition, three special exhibitions were presented in cooperation with the Messe Wels and the region of Upper Austria: "E-Cars: Driving solar", "AdieuÖl-Solar.Sonnenklar" and "Insulation Materials".

 

See you next year in Wels/Austria!

 

The World Sustainable Energy Days 2022 were one of the first international sustainable energy conferences with over 400 international participants on-site. The energy transition community met in Wels and presented opportunities, solutions and strategies to make global climate neutrality reality.

 

The next edition of the World Sustainable Energy Days will be held from 1 - 3 March 2023 in Wels /Austria. The deadline for the Call for Papers is 10 October 2022.