15 April 2015: The Future of Energy Summit 2015 met under the theme ‘Opportunities for Transformation,’ and covered key areas for the future of utilities, namely power generation, grids, connected homes and vehicles. Over 1000 attendees and 140 speakers participated in 45 sessions, which convened under the daily themes of: innovation; political, regulatory and business decisions; and investment.

Speakers included former US Vice President and Nobel Laureate Al Gore, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and former Mayor of New York and the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change Michael Bloomberg. In a statement delivered at the event, UN Secretary-General Ban called on business leaders to expand investment in low-carbon growth and support efforts to advance sustainable energy for all and tackle climate change. He emphasized that, in 2014, global investment in renewable power and fuels grew by more than 15% over the same figures for 2013, with investments in developing countries increasing by more than a third. He added that, while renewable energies still contribute less than 10% of global electricity, incentives can improve this figure.

Ban highlighted the UN-led Global Energy Efficiency Accelerator Platform, which aims to double efficiency by 2030, keep more than a gigaton of carbon emissions from entering the atmosphere each year and save tens of billions of dollars. He recalled that the private sector, at the 2014 UN Climate Summit, announced plans to mobilize over US$200 billion in financial assets towards low-carbon and climate-resilient development. He also said that “a credible climate finance package” was critical to the success of the Paris Climate Conference and advocated for carbon pricing, phasing out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies and stronger energy efficiency standards.

Ban announced that the first-ever Global Energy Ministerial will convene on 20 May 2015 during the second annual UN Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) Forum in New York.

Also addressing the Summit, Kandeh Yumkella, Special Representative of the Secretary–General for the SE4ALL initiative, called on the private sector to support innovation and investment at the “speed and scale” needed to “ensure shared prosperity,” “transform our current energy system,” and advance SE4ALL’s objectives.

The Future of Energy Summit 2015 met from 13-15 April 2015 in New York, US. Hosted by Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF), the Summit provides the opportunity to explore the intersection between the energy markets, industry, finance and policy. [Future of Energy Summit 2015 Website] [UN News Story]