European Commission Vice-President with responsibility for Energy Union Maros Sefcovic and the initiator of Solar Impulse, the first solar energy powered aircraft to fly around the world, and president of the foundation that bears his name, Bertrand Piccard, announced on Tuesday 28 March a partnership between the Commission and the World Alliance for Clean Technologies, an initiative launched by Piccard’s foundation during COP 22 in Marrakesh at the end of 2016.
Working with the Commission, the World Alliance for Clean Technologies will “analyse and expertise” projects with the goal of implementing “1,000 (energy) solutions that are profitable by the end of 2018” for the benefit of European citizens.
“The flight of Solar Impulse around the world was only a first step. It was a way to demonstrate that clean technologies and renewable energies can achieve incredible things, like flying with an aeroplane with no fuel day and night, several days and several nights in a row. The second stage of the Solar Impulse Foundation is to create the World Alliance for Efficient Solutions. What are efficient solutions? Well, it’s all the possibilities, processes, ideas, technologies, devices, systems that can be more energy efficient, that can reduce energy consumption, that can be cleaner, that can bring better quality of life in a profitable way”, Piccard told the press.
“I really emphasise profitable – otherwise it’s wishful thinking. We have, today, enough solutions existing worldwide but not yet implemented that allow simultaneously to divide by two the CO² emissions, divide by two the waste of energy and at the same time create jobs, make profits, sustain growth and give hope”, he added.
“Europe has brought hope in the last 60 years by bringing peace. Now peace is taken for granted and we need new projects, new visions to keep all the citizens of the European Community aware, alert, active and leading the way to a better future. The collaboration with the European Commission is vital”, he stated.
“It was the European Union and the European Commission who believed” from the start that what Solar Impulse achieved “could be done”, said Sefcovic. That flight “was a very clear demonstration of what European innovation can bring”. “Bertrand brought so much positive energy into the discussion about energy transition”, he continued. “We are really excited that today we could launch with Bertrand’s World Alliance to provide our innovators in Europe, and I would say on an international level as well, with that necessary support, visibility and that stimulation they need”, he added.
With the expertise of its DG Research, its Joint Research Centre (JRC) and its experts in clean energy, and also by means of the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) and research funds, the Commission will help these projects “get from the start-up level to the demonstration project and up to the real projects which could be used by the market”, Sefcovic said.
The aim is to bring “concrete solutions” to forthcoming meetings, COP 23 and COP 24, working “very closely” with 'mission innovation' which is currently chaired by the EU, Sefcovic added. He said the EU was looking to organise a “very ambitious” clean energy ministerial meeting next year in one of the European countries. He and Piccard will take part in the second Energy Union tour to talk together to citizens and young people. (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)