G20 Foundation Publications Turkey 2015 | Page 109

SUSTAINABLE
ENERGY: IT NEEDS
TO BE ON TOP
OF YOUR AGENDA
Peter Bakker, President & CEO, WBCSD
The Turkish Presidency of G20 has put energy
sustainability at the centre of its agenda for global
action. And rightly so. In the emerging low-carbon
world, sustainable energy is a prerequisite for economic
growth and prosperity for all.
In an increasingly carbon-restrained world shaped by the realities of
climate change, sustainable sourcing and use of energy is high on
the agenda of forward-looking business. More and more companies
are taking ambitious measures to improve energy efficiency in their
operations. They are implementing dedicated energy management
systems that measure energy consumption and assess reduction
potential within different business units. Energy efficiency measures
deliver integrated benefits for both business and the environment. They
lower an organisation’s energy use and in turn its production costs, while
reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and contributing to climate
mitigation.
Beyond improving energy efficiency in their operations, innovative
businesses are increasingly defining low-carbon energy sourcing
strategies. This can be done either in cooperation with suppliers who
offer energy from renewable sources or by building their own generation
facilities. Small to medium-scale renewables schemes are viable options
to source low-carbon electricity in times of abundant generation, meaning
an organization only needs to draw electricity from the public grid when
it’s necessary. Alternative ways of optimising energy use, such as heat
and power storage solutions, can also be part of a low-carbon energy
sourcing strategy.
Today, most of the available options to generate low-carbon energy are
the result of ground-br