As well as switching to more sustainable energy, we need to be using that energy more efficiently. That means making the cities we live in far more sustainable than they are today. The New Economy speaks to delegates from Autodesk, BMW, and Dow Olympic and Sports Solutions.
Author: The New Economy
Sustainable Innovation Forum 2015: How can you build a sustainable supply chain?
Taking responsibility for your carbon footprint is a lot more complicated than it sounds. Today’s businesses are global, with supply chains stretching all the way around the world, and that’s a huge challenge. The New Economy speaks to delegates from BMW, Carbon Wealth, and the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
Sustainable Innovation Forum 2015: How business can help consumers go green
Private businesses aren’t just expected to turn green themselves: there are a number of ways they can reach out to help change the behaviour of their consumers. The New Economy speaks to delegates from BT, Dow Olympic and Sports Solutions, and the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
Israel’s renewable energy revolution will build bridges, says Energix CEO
Renewable energy is a growing industry in Israel, and is also important from a strategic viewpoint. Producing clean energy would liberate the country from its dependence on imported oil and natural gas. But Israel doesn’t want to be an energy island, says Asa Levinger, CEO of Energix Renewable Energies. Instead, Israel could use its wind and solar energy sources to help build a bridge to peace.
The New Economy: Renewable energy is a growing industry in Israel, and is important also from a strategic viewpoint. Being able to produce energy from clean sources would liberate the country from its political and financial dependence on its neighbours’ oil and natural gas supplies. With me to discuss how the sector is developing is Asa Levinger.
Well Asa, if you could start by talking me through Israel’s energy market. How is it structured, exactly?
Asa Levinger: Renewable energy is one of the most fascinating topics in the last decade. It was just recently announced that 50 percent of the new power plants that were installed all over the world in 2014 use renewable energy sources. It means that today the common way to produce new electricity is from renewable energy sources. And for me, that is an amazing fact.
The recent development in technology allows us to reduce the price of renewable energy installation dramatically, and get us closer into the point of grid parity.
What is grid parity? Grid parity is the point in which renewable energy installation will have equal or lower cost than the cost to produce electricity from conventional power plants.
Therefore, I think for renewable energy it’s only the beginning. And it’s tremendous impact on our lives has yet to come.
In Israel, we were kind of late bloomers. We joined the market six years ago. Energix had the privilege to grow with the market: we went step by step.
Energix was the first to connect a medium-sized rooftop to the grid, and was the first to connect our diamond project, a large ground-mounted system, to the grid. So I truly believe that with our Mediterranean sun, and our great wind conditions, the future of investment in renewable energy is very promising.
The New Economy: An in terms of challenges, what do renewables pose for Israel?
Asa Levinger: I see two main challenges for renewables. The first one is external, and it is the competition with conventional power plants.
It is true that in the beginning, the cost to produce renewable energy was relatively high. So the people that were against renewables had a very good argument, saying it’s just too expensive. But today, when we are approaching grid parity – and in Israel, we have a very good sun – together with the support we are getting from the government, I think this challenge is about to be terminated.
Regarding the internal challenges, we have the competition with other renewable energy companies. The market of renewables is controlled by giant utilities, so in order to succeed, you need to differentiate yourself from the others.
Energix understood from the beginning that in order to succeed, you must have strong financial abilities. So we in Energix adopted a very unique strategy. We call it the ‘fast rider on the elephant’s trail’ strategy. Meaning, you have to be daring, decisive, quick yet calculated. And the most important: always on track.
I think adopting this strategy will allow us to mitigate the challenge.
The New Economy: And politically speaking, what do renewables mean for Israel?
Asa Levinger: Israel is an electricity island. So one may think that for us, renewables will increase the diversity of electricity sources, and will strengthen our independence. But we see it differently.
We see it as an opportunity to cooperate with our neighbours. The Middle East is eager for more and more electricity, and for us that’s an opportunity.
Every person alive should get electricity: it’s a commodity. And for us, bringing that commodity to the people, we might create financial prosperity. And for us, that’s a fundamental thing in order to create a bridge to peace.
The New Economy: What’s the role of stakeholders in your renewable energy projects?
Asa Levinger: Stakeholders are playing a crucial role in every renewable energy project. The first stakeholder is the local community. In each renewable energy project, you are literally entering into the backyard of the community. So it’s very important to be very attentive to the needs of the local community.
Energix’s goal is that every local coming back from work will look at the wind turbine on their land, and directly associate it with the contribution and benefits that the community is getting out of it.
Second, some very key players are the environmental authorities. They are our colleagues, and we are sharing the same goal: protecting the environment.
Actually, we see it as a whole package. We call it the triple-win package, a win-win-win situation for the local community, the environment, and the investor. Together, promoting the same thing: the success of the project.
The New Economy: And finally, how do you see renewable energies developing in the coming years in Israel?
Asa Levinger: In the 19th century, we had the industrial revolution. In the 20th century, we had the computer revolution. I truly believe that we are now in the beginning of the green revolution.
We see electric cars. We see green buildings. We see electrical storage. We see other green applications. Together with the huge support renewables and all other green things are getting from the government, we will have massive investment in renewables in the future.
Energix is thrilled to be a part of this revolution, because we truly believe there is no substitute for renewable energy. And it is the right and the only answer for a much better future.
Sustainable Innovation Forum 2015: What are the energy sources of the future?
Stopping climate change means changing our energy mix. So what sustainable energies will we be using more in the next 20 years? And what challenges still stand in the way of a fully sustainable energy world? The New Economy speaks to delegates from Carbon Wealth, Climate Action, the Greening The Islands conference, the National Power Company of Iceland, and Vattenfall.
Sustainable Innovation Forum 2015: A launching pad for green innovations
The Sustainable Innovation Forum 2015 was a great launching pad for a number of innovative ideas. The New Economy speaks to delegates from BMW, Carbon Wealth, Earth World Solutions and Solar Impulse on their latest innovations.
Sustainable Innovation Forum 2015: COP21 the most business-friendly COP ever
Everyone is pleased that a positive resolution came out of the COP 21 talks in Paris. But what has really got the private sector excited is how big a role private enterprise is expected to play in helping reduce emissions. The New Economy speaks to the President of Iceland and delegates from Autodesk, BT, Climate Action, New Holland Agriculture, Solar Impulse and Vattenfall.
Sustainable Innovation Forum 2015: Iceland leads the way for renewables in Europe
Iceland was happily waving its flag at the Sustainable Innovation Forum 2015, with the country’s president and energy industry proudly boasting Iceland’s green credentials. The New Economy speaks to the President of Iceland and representatives from the National Power Company of Iceland and Promote Iceland.
Sustainable Innovation Forum 2015: How can the private sector save the world?
The private sector is expected to lead the charge in bringing the innovation, creativity and funding to help fight climate change after the COP 21 talks in Paris. And according to the businesspeople at the Sustainable Innovation Forum 2015, that innovation and disruptive technology is already here. The New Economy speaks to delegates from BMW, Carbon Trade eXchange, Carbon Wealth, Climate Action, New Holland Agriculture, Solar Impulse, and the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
Sustainable Innovation Forum 2015: The New Economy reports
The Sustainable Innovation Forum in Paris brought together more than 750 delegates from around the world to discuss how the private sector can bring innovation, creativity and funding to the fight against climate change. The New Economy speaks to delegates from BMW, BT, Climate Action, New Holland Agriculture, the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Solar Impulse, and the President of Iceland.
The decline of BlackBerry
In 2007, BlackBerry dominated the mobile device industry. But by 2014, BlackBerry’s sales had dramatically decreased. So what happened? Watch our new video to find out.
In 2007, BlackBerry dominated the mobile device industry. But by 2014, BlackBerry’s sales had dramatically decreased.
So what happened?
BlackBerry found great initial success with BBM in 2005. But the feature’s popularity was dwarfed by the rise of competing apps.
The company didn’t embrace its potential as a platform for applications, and BlackBerry World still lags behind both Google Play and iTunes.
BlackBerry set out to make great phones. But what people wanted were portable computers.
What was getting in the way was BlackBerry’s once-attractive physical keyboard. Adding a touchscreen keyboard to the OS allowed other providers twice as much screen space, transforming phones into multimedia platforms.
The watershed moment came in 2007, with the launch of iPhone: kickstarting the smartphone revolution.
Apple’s sales climbed steadily, as it offered a reliable turnover of models. Unlike BlackBerry, which suffered numerous delays.
BlackBerry’s future does not look bright. With poor sales in the first half of 2015, this one time goliath could soon be on its knees.
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Mannheim: One of the most inventive cities in the world
The city of Mannheim is one of the most inventive cities in the world, with about 4.95 patents per 10,000 people. Mannheim’s Mayor, Dr Peter Kurz, discusses some of the highlights, and explains the culture of innovation and investment that Mannheim is trying to foster in its new technology campus.
The New Economy: The city of Mannheim has been thrust into the global spotlight with smart innovations. Here to share some highlights: Mayor Dr Peter Kurz.
Now Forbes of course has listed your city as one of the most inventive in the world, with approximately 4.95 patents per 10,000 inhabitants. Tell me: which projects really set you apart?
Mayor Dr Peter Kurz: Yes of course! The main topic is to look into the future, but we have also a great history of innovation. The car, invented by Karl Benz, within our city. The bicycle in 1817. A special tractor; most common fertilisers were invented here. So you see, there is a history of big innovations and big companies emerging from these innovations. And we foster this very much.
We focus on what we call the fourth industrialisation, or the fourth revolution in industry. We foster new innovations in mobility, because of our traditions. For example, we established a project called Primove, which is run with inductive energy. So it’s wirelessly fuelled. And this is a really great innovation that runs through our city. And this is just one example where we are also connected as a city to our industry and to help innovation thrive.
The New Economy: So tell me about some of the types of companies you’ve been able to attract.
Mayor Dr Peter Kurz: We are very much focused on three different clusters.
Smart production is one topic. We want to attract especially young companies to create an atmosphere of venture capital in this field.
Then we have a close look on the field of medical technology. We are right now building up a campus. We have big companies like Roche and Sanofi and also young startups that are interested in this new campus.
Third topic for us is creative industries: I think it’s very important to create a very attractive atmosphere for technical innovations.
So, these are the main clusters and topics that we try to foster.
The New Economy: Now you must be building a technological grid infrastructure that supports all of these innovative companies.
Mayor Dr Peter Kurz: There is the basic technology: the grid itself. We have to provide broadband technology.
The second is of course wireless LAN. In the city we are now expanding our network with partners from the business side. And what I mentioned also is the clusters, the business development centres with staff, with cluster managers, with connectors: this is part of our grid too.
The New Economy: So let’s discuss one novelty in particular: that’s your power grid. Tell me, how does it work?
Mayor Dr Peter Kurz: The new energy world is really a main topic within Germany. And on the technological side there are challenges. One is that we need a different grid from the one in the past. It needs to be intelligent.
Also, for example, we have two projects that are very innovative. One is the so-called Mannheim model, where we supervise the energy use. And that puts us in the position to steer the grid in a better way, so we know the producers and the consumers, and their habits.
The second is a project called Strombank. That’s an energy bank, so you can store energy, and you can deliver energy as a prosumer. And this energy will be paid back if you need it. This is also a technologically new concept, which puts us at the forefront of the new energy world.
The New Economy: So how do you get companies to support your energy goals? I mean, this is really an issue that so many cities struggle with.
Mayor Dr Peter Kurz: We have two different approaches, which are of course connected to each other.
One is that we founded a joint agency for climate change. This is a public-private partnership, and it brings to us the possibility to subsidise new projects to fight climate change.
The other is that we have contracts with big players. So we started with two big companies, and these companies’ aims were defined: the aims were very ambitious for our city: we need to reduce our energy needs by 40 percent by 2020, compared to the starting year 1990.
The New Economy: So tell me, what are the other innovations we can look forward to from Mannheim?
Mayor Dr Peter Kurz: I think the specialty in Mannheim is our approach: how we want to run the city, and especially our city administration. We gained a sustainable award in Germany for this approach, so we are very much oriented on measurable objectives.
This is also part of our innovation, which drives our city.