The Energy Future Exchange, EFEX, hosted its Brussels conference on 24 September 2019, at the SQUARE Convention Center. A comprehensive celebration and call-to-action, the event highlights the potential of the EU and U.S. to lead in the creation of a clean, climate-friendly energy future. Featuring insights and innovations from both sides of the Atlantic, this one-day event culminated EFEX’s two-year transatlantic civil society dialogue.

Monika Zimmerman, a leading figure in international sustainability cooperation, moderated the conference, which is divided into three segments: discover, engage and act.

DISCOVER | Laying the foundation | 10-12

• Jan Rosenow from the Regulatory Assistance Project opened the day with a keynote address focusing on the role of energy efficiency in the broader energy transition.
• A new documentary film soon to be released by Think Film exploring unexpected approaches to the energy transition was presented by the director. (Details forthcoming)
• Dr. Carolyn Snell from the University of York, whose research investigates the intersections of energy, climate and social policy, including the concept of fuel poverty, and
• Dries Acke, Director for the Energy Systems Initiative at the European Climate Foundation,

shared insights from their work and join a panel discussion.

ENGAGE | Show & tell | 12-15

A lunch buffet was available while exhibitors from the U.S. and EU demonstrate and discuss their approaches to addressing the challenges of the energy transition. The exhibitors included educators, small and medium-sized enterprises, community organisations, start-ups and NGOs. Exhibitor tables provided a chance for presenters to connect with conference attendees, and interviews will offer a platform for introducing new ideas to the conversation.

Among the exhibitors and interviewees were

• Steve McClain from Strategic Microgrid
• GICON
• Carine Sebi from Ecole de Management Grenoble
• Buildings Performance Institute Europe (BPIE)
• Wendy Sanassee from EarthSpark International
• Francisco Gonçalves from Energy Cities
• Regulatory Assistance Project
• econnext

ACT | Make it work | 15-16.30

With a specific focus on finance, but with an eye to the social and equity questions essential to sustainability, the final segment offered a path to realisation, featuring

• Irena Spazzapan, SYSTEMIQ;
• Jason Morenikeji, Founder and Director, Urban Farming Company
• Michael Schneider, Co-CEO and Co-Founder, econnext.eu
• Cecilia Tam, Clean Energy Finance and Investment Mobilisation at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

This segment and the conference concluded with closing remarks from a special guest.

This is a one-of-a-kind conference seeking to celebrate the diversity of thought, action and inspiration making civil society the leaders in pushing the transatlantic energy transition forward