Expert Exchange: Renewables Pull for a Just Energy Transition

The basic manufacturing industries—iron and steel, chemicals and cement—are facing one of the biggest challenges in their history: decarbonisation. These industries, all of which rely heavily on fossil fuels, are currently responsible for 18% of global carbon dioxide emissions. One potential solution to this problem is to use green hydrogen as a sustainable fuel alternative, itself produced using renewable energy. However, the switch from carbon-heavy fuels to hydrogen opens up new challenges in terms of energy supply, because renewable electricity and green hydrogen are costly to store and transport. This could lead industries to relocate to regions in the Global South, where conditions for renewable energy production are more favourable. The term “renewables pull” refers to this effect. 

This Expert Exchange will explore the renewables pull effect and its potential contribution to a just energy transition, especially in coal regions. By bringing together experts on transformative industrial policy, the session will showcase current developments in the renewables pull and discuss its implications for different industries and countries. 

Speakers:

Hilton Trollip — University of Cape Town and Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI), South Africa

Julien Armijo — Greenly, France  

Gregor Clark — Portal Energético para América Latina and Global Energy Monitor, United States 

Timon Wehnert — Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment, and Energy, Germany

Süheyb Bilici — Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment, and Energy, Germany 

Moderated by Anna Leipprand — Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment, and Energy, Germany 

Translation will be available from English to Spanish and from Spanish to English. You can find the respective instructions below:

Interpretation on your phone EN
Interpretación en su teléfono celular ES

Interactio Listener Instructions EN
Instrucciones de oyentes de Interactio ES