G-STIC 2018: Energy Positive Communities

Why energy at G-STIC?

When you take a close look at the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) you will notice that at least 12 of them are directly related to energy and that's why energy is so important for G-STIC. Another fact is that 13% of the world population is not yet connected to modern electricity and that is why we put energy positive communities at the center of our discussion.

Energy positive communities:

One of the main conclusions of the energy debate at G-STIC 2017 was: to reach the SDGs, we need to pay as much or even more attention to local energy communities as to the central energy system. Both parts of the system are not to be considered in competitive sense but need to be matched. In this context we define energy positive communities as: Neighbourhoods, villages, districts or even cities that are actively involved in the development of their own energy system based on renewable energy and integrated in the broader energy system. The question is not: what is the value of the electricity sold, but what is the value of an additional child educated by providing affordable electricity, what is the value of an additional patient treated in a local hospital by providing reliable electricity. It is about integrating services, services for energy, health, food, water, waste etc.  

What is the key success factor for energy positive communities?

The key success factor for energy positive communities is bringing together two worlds: the world of the big energy infrastructures (based on the national energy plans) on one side and the world of the local energy initiatives on the other side. So the key questions are:

• how do the national energy plans take into account those local energy initiatives?
• how do national energy plans value the local energy services?
• when and where will those two worlds meet each other physically? 
• which technologies are necessary to make that match?

These are the questions that we will discuss at G-STIC 2018. If we do not succeed in answering those questions it will be very hard to achieve a stable investment climate for energy positive communities. It is not an easy challenge but it is a crucial one.

We hope that you will join us and jointly find the answer.

ARE is pleased to be a partner of the Conference.

David Lecoque will contribute to the debate on critical success factors for achieving impact in local energy communities. In particular, he will explain how productive use of renewable energy is a driver of economic development.

More information:

https://2018.gstic.org/themes/energy-positive-communities/programme