Outline of the RETD flagship activities 2011
READy 2011: RETD-Event and RETD-Publication
In order to present the relevance and outcome of the RETD Implementing Agreement in a recognizable and recurring way, RETD will organize a (bi-)annual major high-level event (conference/workshop) and prepare a (bi-)annual publication on renewable energy technology deployment. The flagship activities will serve both in- and outreach and aim to further increase the impact of RETD.
Objectives
The objectives of both communication activities are:
· To disseminate the results of RETD project activities to policy- and decision makers, both inside and outside the RETD member countries;
· To encourage discussion amongst the stakeholders on RE policies, and to strengthen and/or initiate international cooperation on RE policies and RE deployment; and
· To underline the important position of RETD:
o in advocating the role of renewable energy as a solution to the global challenges on energy and climate change issues, and
o in addressing topical issues related to renewable energy deployment, that policy- and decision makers are confronted with.
The Event will be targeting high-level policy- and decision makers (government, industry, financing, NGOs, international press), whereas the Publication will target a broader audience in the same sectors. Both Event and Publication will address the short-term renewable energy policy needs in light of the longer-term large-scale deployment of renewable energy.
Content / topics
Both activities will be primarily based on the outcome of the RETD project activities. They will on the other hand also frame the activities of the RETD work programme. The structure of the strategic plan for RETD’s second term will result in the expansion of RETD’s portfolio of themes and projects, and of experts that can contribute to the publication and/or event.
The Event can be more flexible in addressing topical issues that emerge on the international agenda, whereas the Publication will provide more background information that can be used as a reference. The Publication will most likely be divided in a section with chapters that are reoccurring in each update, and sections highlighting topical issues (e.g. results of particular RETD project activities).
Both Event and Publication can be aligned to one another: in terms of content and of planning. The advantage being that the collection and compilation of information and people can be combined, thus saving costs and time. Participants to the Event will be offered the Publication.
Event / PublicationTarget audience / High-level policy- and decision makers
(government, industry, financing, NGOs, academia, international press) / Persons supporting or affecting high-level policy- and decision makers
Specific objective / ‘Involve in the debate’
Build on the network of people, countries and organizations that work on RE deployment / ‘Give input to the debate’
Provide background information and argumentation
Input / RETD work programmes
(External) High-level speakers
Co-operation with IEA / RETD work programmes
Co-operation with other content providers (e.g. IEA)
Topicality / High / Medium
Frequency / Proposal: bi-annually
Start in 2011 / Proposal: bi-annually
Start in 2011
Naming of Publication and Event
The name of the Publication and Event will be:
READy: Renewable Energy Action on Deployment
The publication will have a subtitle in which the ‘global’, ‘outlook’ and ‘renewable energy’ aspect of the publication will be expressed.
Summary of READy 2011
Workshop and READy Event 2011
For 2011 it is proposed to organize two Events:
· A workshop back-to-back to the REWP meeting in March 2011 (15/16 March 2011)
· A high-level event in the Autumn of 2011
After the presentation of WEO 2011 (November 2011, t.b.d.)
Before COP 17/MOP 7, South Africa, November 28 to December 9, 2011
READy Publication 2011
The proposal is to have a Publication 2011 prepared before November 2011. Publication and Event will be aligned to one another: both will address (more or less) the same topics and the same content providers can be involved.
For both Publication and Event, the main coordination will be provided by a team closely linked to the Operating Agent. As Publication and Event are closely linked to one another, central coordination and short communication lines are important.
The Publication will be coordinated by Rolf de Vos, Ecofys, journalist and editor of several publications on energy and climate issues.
The Event(s) will be coordinated by Emelia Holdaway under supervision of Mariëlle Vosbeek, Ecofys, who acted as Conference Secretariat for the 10th International Conference on Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies (http://www.ghgt.info/), which was held in September 2010 and attended by 1500 participants.
Budget READy 2011
Provisional budget (decided at ExCo 12):
Publication and Event in 2011: 300 k€
Plus a reservation for additional project activities in support
of the Publication and Event: 150 k€
RETD budget estimate of the current proposal (see next pages):
Low High
RETD Publication 2011 115 k€ 150 k€
RETD Workshop March 15/16, 2011 p.m. p.m.
RETD Event – Autumn 2011
100 participants 165 k€
300 participants 160 k€
Total (excluding sponsors, e.g. of diner) 275 k€ 315 k€
Based on the experiences acquired during this process, a decision on follow-up and frequency/organization in future years will be made.
READy 2011 Publication
Name: Renewable Energy Action on Deployment
Subtitle: The global outlook on renewable energy deployment (t.b.d.)
Release date: November 2011
Scope and target audience
In alignment with the organization of annual or multi-annual events (to be started in November 2011), RETD plans to publish a book about global deployment of renewable energy. Primary target audience for this book (and for the event) will be the top- and mid-level policy and decision makers within governments and companies. Focus will be on an optimal approach of deploying new sustainable energy systems from the policy maker’s perspective.
The Publication will assess the short-term renewable energy policy needs in light of the longer-term large-scale deployment of renewable energy (in line with the proposed SCENARIOS7 project). Which actions could policy and decision makers take now, in order to grow towards a sustainable energy system, in the most effective and (cost-)efficient way?
This storyline will be used to highlight specific RETD project activities, either in chapters or text boxes.
Starting point of the book are scenarios. From there, overviews of possible actions in different sectors and/or RETD thematic areas will be presented, along with best cases and testimonials of stakeholders. The book will not be a real manual, but more like a toolbox to show policy/decision makers that successes can be booked. The book intends to inspire them to sidestep from business-as-usual, to take the right action and to create new approaches that meet the local circumstances and conditions.
The Publication should be an RETD flagship and hence the RETD footprint (vision and project activities) should be clearly visible. A selection of the RETD project activities can be summarized and presented in an appealing way. But next to that, RETD can comment on developments, look to the future, and present solutions for identified problems. Co-operation with other organizations, like the IEA Secretariat, REN21 and IRENA, is needed.
The scope of the publication is both on developing and developed countries.
Organisation
The Publication will be prepared by an editorial team (ET), consisting of:
· Rolf de Vos (Ecofys Netherlands B.V., ed.)
· Janet Sawin (formerly World Watch Institute, Washington)
supported by:
· Eric Martinot (Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies, Tokyo) - t.b.c.
The editorial team will be supported by a Project Steering Group (PSG) consisting of the Operating Agent and representatives of the RETD ExCo.
RETD materials will be the basis of the book, but most of the content will be (ghost)written by the editors. There are three main reasons for this approach:
· It saves time for the RETD organisation (ExCo members, Operating Agent, Implementing Bodies). They only have to provide basic information, be available for interviews or extra information and do some checks on the content;
· Writing by professional authors will make the whole process throughout the project more efficient;
· The style and tone of voice will be uniform.
To increase transparency and reproducibility, the chapters will contain references to all the RETD and other sources used. The printed version will only contain references to the main sources and end notes if necessary.
Specialist RETD commentators will be appointed for each chapter. They will be consulted at the start of each chapter about the main messages, contents and the main information providers. They will be sent the outline (<500 words) for comment. They will also be invited to comment on the end-draft of each chapter (once). They will receive the end version of this chapter to check if their comments have been applied properly. In case of a difference in opinion, the RETD OA intervenes. This default procedure will cover a period of approx. three months for each individual chapter. If any actual developments urge changes, the editors will consult the RETD
commentators as well.
The editors will continuously contact specialists in the RETD network, source their
basic material from RETD projects and other work. In some cases, they will interview
leading RETD project managers.
For some chapters extra research will be needed. RETD has already made budget reservations for this.
A draft Table of Content is given in Annex 1.
Budget READy 2011 Publication
The Publication intends to contain some 100 pages, 40,000 words. Writing and editing will require a budget of around € 80,000 to € 100,000.
· At first sight, it will be a promising commercial publication, e.g. for Earthscan, who is already cooperating with RETD.
· The IEA may be of help by providing its distribution channels.
Low High
Editorial management and writing of text 90 k€ 100 k€
Layout & printing (e.g. 1000 copies take off by RETD) 25 k€ 50 k€
Total 115 k€ 150 k€
Planning
· January 2011: Meeting editors/RETD: establish a draft TOC; identify possible extra research and invite researchers.
· January 2011: Identifying and inviting authors for respective paragraphs. Decision on publisher. Detailed schedule.
· April 2011: Deadline for authors. Editors meet to identify shortcomings.
· May 2011: Deadline shortcomings repair. Start editing.
· September 2011: Layout and printing
· November 2011: Publication
READy 2011 Event
Name: Renewable Energy Action on Deployment 2011
Date: High-level event in the Autumn of 2011
After the presentation of WEO 2011 (November 2011, t.b.d.)
Before COP 17/MOP 7, South Africa, Nov. 28 to Dec. 9, 2011
Venue: London or Berlin (t.b.d.)
Target audience
The target audience for the RETD Event consists of:
· High-level representatives from IEA and IEA-RETD member Countries, plus the BRIC and other countries;
· High-level representatives from international organisations as IEA, IRENA, UNEP, UNDP, European Commission, REN 21 and others;
· The international press; and
· Environmental and industrial non-governmental organisations (NGOs), including TSOs.
Encourage discussion
The aim of the conference is:
· To establish a dialogue between industry and policy makers.
· To disseminate the results of RETD project activities to policy- and decision makers, both inside and outside the RETD member countries (presentation of RETD 2011 Publication);
· To encourage the discussion amongst stakeholders on RE policies, and to strengthen and/or initiate international cooperation on RE policies and RE deployment;
· To underline the important position of RETD;
· To provide energy, inspiration and support to policy makers that are faced with high ambitions on RE deployment and climate change mitigation on the one hand, and tough economical and/or budgetary conditions on the other.
Conference format
The conference will be a one-day conference with a welcome dinner, the evening before.
Timing and location
The RETD conference takes place in November 2011. The idea is to plan the Event between the publication of the WEO2011 and COP17/MOP7. The following criteria are proposed for the selection of the location:
· The venue will be in an IEA Member Country, preferably in an RETD Member Country
· Good international connections to the venue (by train, by plane)
· Good local facilities
· No competition with other events in the region
The current idea is to have the Event in London, UK. But alternatives can be sought in North America (e.g. Canada, US), or Germany (e.g. Frankfurt, Berlin - preferred alternative) or Netherlands (Amsterdam).
Conference Programme
The Conference programme will be structured around the following elements:
· Presentations by high-quality speakers, addressing the key topics of the RE deployment challenges, in light of the central theme of the Event: ‘short-term policy actions to meet long-term objectives’.
· The speakers will address the key topics that are also addressed in the Publication, but sometimes from a different perspective (e.g. industry testimonies). The presentations will be ‘solution-oriented’.
· Interactive discussions amongst participants, both in the margins of the Event, as during well-moderated sessions.
· Presentation of the RETD 2011 Publication.
A draft programme structure of the conference is given in Annex 2.
The proposed rough outline is as follows:
· Evening before: Conference Dinner
The RETD conference aims at an international audience. It is proposed to have a conference dinner, the evening before the conference. The dinner gives the delegates the opportunity to meet each other in a nice ambience, to catch up and to provide an evening programme to those who have a long distance travel.
· Morning: Plenary session
In the plenary session high-quality presentations will be given, with the opportunity for discussion.
· After-lunch: Presentation of the READy 2011 Publication
· Afternoon: Plenary session (panel/forum discussion)
In the afternoon the plenary sessions will be continued. A closing session is planned to summarize the most important findings of the conference. Optionally the closing session can be combined with a panel or forum discussion.
Various tools can be used to empower the Conference participants and to create an atmosphere that facilitates discussion, throughout the conference (ambience of the conference venue, music, small acts, video).