IRENA Innovation Day: Digital Solutions for the Energy Transition

Conference Programmes

IRENA’s Innovation Days take place in different regions around the world with the aim to showcase emerging innovations and inform and inspire broader and faster uptake of innovative solutions that can help deliver a renewable future. Building on a series of Innovation Days in Uruguay, Thailand, Turkey and Canada and following discussions in the 4rd IRENA Innovation Week 2024, the IRENA Innovation Day Abu Dhabi in UAE would bring together a diverse mix of policymakers and innovators from the region and international, to showcase successes, highlight challenges, learn from each other’s experience and explore how innovative digital solutions can help advancing the energy transition.

The event includes two sessions, one focused on the applications of digital technologies to advance the energy transition and support the renewables tripling goal, while the second sessions discuss the particular applications of digital technologies for more sustainable and resilient communities, and in off-grid settings.

Find out more about our expert speakers or view all the session details below.  

Tuesday 14th January



14:00 - 14:20 | Opening Session

  • Welcome remarks from IRENA, Roland Roesch , Director IRENA Innovation and Technology Center, IRENA

  • Welcome remarks from UAE, Aaesha Alnuaimi, Global Green Innovation Initiatives Lead at WGEO ( World Green Economy Organization)


14:20 - 15:10 | Session: Digitalisation to support the 3xRenewables goal

[10 min] Setting the scene presentation: Greg Jackson, Founder and CEO Octopus Energy

[5 min] Digitalisation of the energy systems in Europe – Overview, Directorate-General for Energy (DG ENER), European Commission (pre-recoded video)

[40 min] Panel Discussion

Moderator: Norela Constantinescu, IITC Deputy Director, IRENA

Panelists:

  • Bruce Douglas, CEO, Global Renewable Alliance

  • Greg Jackson, Founder and CEO Octopus Energy

  • Younes El Jazouli, Head of Grid Technologies Sales & PM, Siemens Energy


15:30 - 16:20 | Session: Digitalisation for more sustainable and resilient energy communities

[10 min] IRENA setting the scene presentation: Innovation Landscape for sustainable growth powered by renewables. Arina Anisie, Analyst RE Innovation, IRENA 

[40 min] Panel Discussion

Moderator: Arina Anisie, Analyst RE Innovation, IRENA

Panelists:

  • Nalin Agarwal, Founding Partner, Climate Seeds Fund / Founding Partner, Climate CollectiveClimate

  • Praviin Kumaar, Regional Representative South Asia, GOGLA

  • Patrick Westman, Global Head of Strategy & Policy, ENGIE Energy Access


16:20 - 16:30 | Closing Remarks


Norela Constantinescu, IITC Deputy Director, IRENA