Themes & Enablers
Recharge Earth is two days of thinking, doing, and collaborating on the energy transition. Sharing knowledge and experiences to come up with concrete solutions that will shape a new energy future.
The second edition of Recharge Earth will take place on Wednesday 18th and Thursday 19th September 2024, featuring plenary meetings with inspiring keynotes, breakout sessions to delve deeper into the opportunities and challenges surrounding the energy transition, and various site visits to interesting projects and areas. There will also be multiple networking opportunities throughout the conference.
Themes Recharge Earth
To inspire, facilitate and stimulate innovative thinking, Recharge Earth offers a challenging program for the following themes:
The built environment is lagging behind in achieving climate goals, according to progress reports. It is not surprising that this transition affects everyone because no sector is as close to everyday life as the energy transition. Recharge Earth strives for collaboration for innovative and socially acceptable solutions for the sustainable and future-proof transition of the built environment.
New energy solutions and infrastructure adaptations are inseparable. Electricity is becoming increasingly important for energy supply, but the large amount of sustainably generated energy puts a serious strain on the electricity grid. Capacity issues are increasingly being reported. Multiple energy solutions are needed, including storage options, hydrogen, and heat. The feasibility of the energy transition depends on infrastructure, which is why Energy & Infrastructure is a main theme of Recharge Earth.
Mobility is crucial for the economy and society, but sustainability requires innovation. Electrification of vehicles has made progress, but there are still challenges such as charging infrastructure and emission-free heavy transport. Biofuels seem to be a solution. Recharge Earth investigates sustainable mobility options with an emphasis on effectiveness and accessibility.
Dutch port and industrial complexes are among the world's top and are important for international trade and employment, but they also cause significant CO2 emissions. Innovation, investment, and clear laws and regulations are needed to reduce this, but policies must take into account Europe's and the United States' competitive position. Recharge Earth will focus on finding coherence between these factors to come up with a solution.
Enablers Recharge Earth
A number of enablers are also discussed. These are overarching topics that keep recurring and are extremely relevant to each of the above themes.
- FINANCE & POLICY
Financing and policy are prerequisites to further initiate the transition. Policy provides clarity and direction for the energy transition and ensures coherence. Without adequate policy, the market cannot effectively move forward. Financing is also necessary for an effective transition. Renewing the energy system involves significant amounts of money. The financial costs do not outweigh the societal costs of doing nothing, but nevertheless, these funding streams must be made available. Recharge Earth also addresses this topic.
- TECH & INNOVATION
If you want to change, you must innovate, and innovation is equivalent to innovation, especially in an industry that relies so heavily on technology. New technical solutions are important for all sectors involved in the energy transition, whether it is the industry or the built environment. Innovation comes in many forms: from small adjustments in existing applications to completely new techniques that turn everything upside down. Both are indispensable in realizing and accelerating the energy transition. That is why this topic is extensively covered during the Recharge Earth conference.
- SOCIAL IMPACT & HUMAN CAPTIAL
The transition from fossil to sustainable is not only about policy and technical innovation; the social aspect is equally important. In fact, if the implementation is not in order, the transition will never really take off. For example, scarcity of technically skilled talent is one of the biggest challenges of the energy transition. Support is also indispensable. The transition has significant consequences for our living environment. But if nothing is allowed and nobody wants, climate goals will never be achieved. Recharge Earth tries to understand this tension between energy transition, workforce, and living environment to contribute to the climate goals.