Clean Energy Ministerial
The Clean Energy Ministerial an annual high-level policy dialogue with energy ministers and other top global stakeholders; and 2) year-round policy-targeted technical initiatives and high-visibility campaigns. The CEM is currently the only regular meeting of energy ministers focused exclusively on clean energy.
President Obama announced in a video message at the sixth Clean Energy Ministerial in Mérida, Mexico that the United States would host the seventh Clean Energy Ministerial in 2016. At COP21 in Paris in December, U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz and California Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. announced CEM7 would be hosted in San Francisco, California. CEM7 is a high-level meeting of energy ministers coming together to discuss and implement actions of respective climate and clean energy goals put forward at COP21. CEM7 includes a public-private action day with opportunities for governments, companies, and other key stakeholders to highlight ambitious clean energy efforts and announce new actions to help achieve national and global clean energy and climate goals.
Through the CEM, 23 countries and the European Commission collaborate on efforts to improve energy efficiency, enhance clean energy supply, and expand clean energy access. Members of the CEM as of 2016 are Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, European Commission, Finland, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Norway, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States.
Origins of the CEM
At the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change conference in Copenhagen in December 2009, U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu announced that he would host the first Clean Energy Ministerial to bring together ministers with responsibility for clean energy technologies from the world's major economies and ministers from a select number of smaller countries that are leading in various areas of clean energy.Framework of the CEM
Members of the Clean Energy Ministerial represent about 90% of global clean energy investment and 75% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. Developing countries hold 50% of capacity for building out clean energy, but more than 70% of growth in clean energy investment since 2000 has been in OECD countries. Global investment in clean energy reached $260 billion in 2011; however, the International Energy Agency estimated that $5 trillion is needed by 2020 to avoid a dangerous rise in greenhouse gases. The CEM's low-cost, high-impact year-round initiatives deliver tangible results and enable proven policies, programs, and technologies to realize broader, faster, and lower-cost diffusion and replication among CEM and non-CEM countries. The CEM initiatives are focused on improving energy efficiency worldwide, enhancing clean energy supply, and expanding clean energy access. While CEM initiatives are led by CEM members, participation in initiatives is open to any country.Current Activities
As of 2016, the CEM has 10 active initiatives, described below:- The Electric Vehicles Initiative works to accelerate the global scale-up of electric drive vehicles.
- The Energy Management Working Group seeks to improve energy efficiency in the industrial and commercial sectors worldwide by accelerating broad use of energy management systems.
- The Super-Efficient Equipment and Appliance Deployment initiative promotes energy-efficient appliances and equipment.
- The Multilateral Solar and Wind Working Group works to lower the costs of solar and wind energy in regions around the world.
- The 21st Century Power Partnership works to transform the electricity sector through integrated policy, regulatory, and technical solutions for large-scale deployment of smart grids, renewable energy, and energy efficiency.
- The Global Lighting and Energy Access Partnership works to facilitate access to affordable, clean, and quality-assured off-grid energy solutions.
- The Global Sustainable Cities Network provides a platform for sustainable city initiatives throughout the world.
- The International Smart Grid Action Network works to accelerate the development and deployment of smarter electricity grids worldwide.
- The Clean Energy Education and Empowerment initiative strives to close the gender gap and help advance women's careers and leadership in clean energy.
- The Clean Energy Solutions Center is a first-stop resource for clean energy policy, best practices, data, analysis tools, and expert assistance. During the 2015 ministerial meeting, a decision was made to expand this initiative and add a finance-based component, the Clean Energy Finance Solutions Center.
Past Ministerial Meetings
The first Clean Energy Ministerial was hosted by the United States in 2010. The United Arab Emirates hosted the second Clean Energy Ministerial in 2011. The United Kingdom hosted the third Clean Energy Ministerial in 2012. India hosted the fourth Clean Energy Ministerial in 2013. South Korea hosted the fifth Clean Energy Ministerial in 2014. Mexico hosted the sixth Clean Energy Ministerial in 2015.2016 Seventh Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM7)
The United States hosted the CEM7 in San Francisco, California, on June 1–2, 2016, under the leadership of then-U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz and California Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr.The announcement at the COP was followed by a discussion among other CEM ministers on the role of the CEM post COP21 as a key implementation forum to help countries deliver on their respective national clean energy goals and build capacity to increase ambition even further over time. That discussion included Ali Ibrahim Al-Naimi, Saudi Arabia's Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Ibrahim Baylan, Sweden's Minister of Energy, Amber Rudd, United Kingdom's Secretary of State for the Department of Energy and Climate Change, and Lars Christian Lilleholt, Denmark's Minister of Energy, Utilities and Climate.
The combination of the city and state's role in advancing clean energy policies along with the concentration of clean technology companies, research and development, and the business community in the region were key deciding factors. San Francisco and the broader Bay Area, which encompasses Silicon Valley, is known as a global hub of the clean energy industry and is home to some of the most innovative technology companies that are playing a crucial role in advancing clean energy globally. California recently signed into law climate and clean energy legislation that sets aggressive targets for the share of the state's electricity from renewable sources and for energy efficiency savings in buildings.
"I can think of no better place than California to play host to the world's clean energy leaders," said Governor Jerry Brown.
CEM7 is expected to include global energy leaders such as China's Minister of Science and Technology Wan Gang, European Commissioner for Climate and Energy Miguel Arias Cañete, and India's Minister of Power, Coal & New & Renewable Energy Piyush Goyal. Leaders from the business and investment community working in clean energy are also expected to participate as well as leaders from international energy organizations, foundations, research institutes, and academia.
2017 Eighth Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM8)
China hosted the eighth Clean Energy Ministerial in Beijing on 6–8 June 2017. The annual meeting of energy ministers and other high-level delegates from the 24 member countries and the European Union provided an opportunity to leverage high-level political will and private sector leadership to drive ambitious, real-world clean energy policies and actions.Delegates participated in a series of roundtable discussions which identified barriers and proposed solutions for a range of action areas. They included:
- Digitalisation of the Energy Sector to Enhance Energy Productivity & Renewables Integration
- Optimising the Impact of Our Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Policies
- Electric Vehicle Deployment Policies for the Next Decade: From the Second Million to Mass Market Adoption
- Leveraging City-Scale Building Efficiency Action
2018 Ninth Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM9)
The 9th Clean Energy Ministerial and the 3rd Mission Innovation Ministerial was co-hosted by the European Commission together with Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and the Nordic Council of Ministers and take place back-to-back in the cities of Copenhagen and Malmö respectively, on May 22–24, 2018. The overall theme is "Energy Integration and Transition: towards a competitive and innovative low carbon economy."In addition to a number of official side events in connection with the two ministerial meetings, activities took place concurrently in and around Copenhagen and Malmö under the umbrella “Nordic Clean Energy Week”, on May 21 – 24, 2018. The Nordic Clean Energy Week is co-hosted by Sweden and Denmark. During this week, politicians, researchers, business and industry gathered to discuss future energy solutions.