On the agenda for this 2nd edition: inspiring conferences, constructive debates and meetings with experts in the energy transition.
On 11 December 2023, EuropeOn’s member Techlink (the federation of companies in the multifunctional installations ecosystem), Edora and ODE Vlaanderen (the French- and Dutch-speaking renewable energy federations) are jointly organising the second Energy Transition Congress at Bel.Brussels on the Tour & Taxis site in Brussels. During the 2022 edition, with the tagline “from vision to action”, renowned speakers inspired the actions of the three federations to put into practice the visionary aspect of the energy transition set out by the Green Deal and REPowerEU. Now it’s time to move “from action to impact”. The Energy Transition Congress 2023 will be an opportunity to measure the impact of our actions and to put forward demands for new European, federal, regional and local policies!
The Congress will therefore be structured around the four levels of governance (European, federal, regional and local), each with a plenary session featuring contributions from energy transition experts, followed by a debate with panellists who are implementing this process on the ground on a daily basis.
The programme
8.30 am – 9.30 am
Welcome / Breakfast
09.30 am – 09.40 am
Introduction and welcome by Eric Piers (CEO Techlink), Fawaz Al Bitar (Managing Director Edora), and Dirk Van Evercooren (Managing Director ODE Vlaanderen)
09.40 am – 10.55 am
European level: Is Europe a model for Belgium?
Europe has steadily been stepping up the pace of its energy transition in recent years, regularly raising its targets and multiplying its regulatory initiatives. What about Belgium? How is it faring? What lessons is it learning from the successes of its neighbours? And what new measures does Europe still have in store for us? With Naomi Chevillard (Head of Regulatory Affairs at Solarpower Europe), Jozefien van Becelaere (Head of EU Affairs at the European Heat Pump Association), William Todts (Executive Director of Transport & Environment), Tomas Wyns (Researcher at the Institute for European Studies at the VUB), Marine Cornelis (Executive Director & Founder of Next Energy Consumer) and Jean-Claude Jossart (Secretary General of Bioenergy Europe)
10.55 am – 11.20 am
Coffee break
11.20 am – 12.20 pm
Federal level: What trajectories towards a 100% renewable future?
Each Member State of the European Union faces a number of options: nuclear, hydrogen, biomass, electric mobility, interconnections, etc. Maintaining an optimal balance between renewable energy sources, while guaranteeing security of supply, is a real challenge. Yet all the technical and economic studies on the future predict a society powered largely by renewable energy by 2050. So why aren’t the politicians moving more clearly in this direction? What are the possible options for achieving such a balancing act?
With Léonardo Meeus (Director of the Florence School of Regulation), Danielle De Vogelaere (Senior Advisor Energy & utilities at Sia Partners), Pieter Lodewijks (Program Manager at Vito/Energyville), Frédéric Dunon (Deputy CEL of Elia Transmission Belgium) and Pascal Vermeulen (Managing Partner of Climact).
12.20 pm – 1.30 pm
Lunch
1.30 pm – 2.45 pm
Regional level: How to boost energy communities and district heating
District heating and energy communities have become obvious solutions for the energy transition, but their development on the ground is far from easy. What can be done to standardise these solutions and install them on a massive scale?
With Daphné Benzennou (Head of Market Development at Sibelga), Jan Denayer (Co-founder of Extraqt), Kathleen Markey (Co-operator & Director of Efika Engineering CV), and Pierre Baijot (Founder of Resolia).
2.45 pm – 3.15 pm
Coffee break
3.15 pm – 4.15 pm
Local level: What levers for local authorities?
Local authorities want to reorganise their neighbourhoods to make them more resilient and environmentally friendly. And they are doing this by making their energy policies more sustainable. Local authorities are the first point of contact for citizens and installers looking for certainty and permits. Here’s a look at some local success stories and the levers that still need to be pulled.
With Ighor Van de Vyver (Councillor, City of Mechelen), Julien Lechat (Advisor Energy & Environment, City of Charleroi), Annick Lempereur (Project Manager, Icedd), Frédéric Praillet (Project Manager, Energie Commune), and Leen Peeters (Manager, Th!nkE).
4.15pm – 5.30pm
Cocktail / Networking
All presentations will be simultaneously translated into the other national language.
An eco-designed building
Our conference on energy transition couldn’t have been held in a better venue than Bel.Brussels. With a surface area of 16,700 m², the new administrative headquarters of Brussels Environment is also one of the largest passive-standard office and business buildings in Europe.
– Exemplary in terms of environmental and energy performance.
– One of the largest passive buildings in Europe (16,750 m²)
– A carbon footprint for its construction of 273 kg CO2 per m² (i.e. almost 2 times less emissions than a typical concrete building)
– High levels of insulation and airtightness
– Around 8,600 m² of wall and roof insulation.
– Savings of more than 241,000 euros/year compared to the old buildings.
For further information or accreditation, please contact
Sophie Lambert
Press Officer – Techlink
M. +32 470 06 35 56
