With his dual identity of explorer and medical doctor, Bertrand Piccard combines science, psychology and adventure to motivate audiences to go beyond the obvious and reach their goals.

Based on the experience of achieving two historic firsts like flying around the world non-stop in a balloon and without fuel in a solar-powered airplane - which both were considered to be impossible feats - Bertrand shares his knowledge about throwing believes, certitudes and habits over board, as ballast, in order to find new ways of thinking.

In his speech, Bertrand will develop the paradigm shift of making protection of the environment and energy transition an attractive and profitable business opportunity.

How much does the energy transition cost? Are sustainability and business profitability already co-existing in the modern world? 

With consumers having higher expectations for companies to do their part on sustainability challenges, we have seen crucial improvements in the prioritization of environmental topics in business agendas.

However, becoming carbon neutral or achieving net-zero emissions is not a simple task. It is not always easy to know where to start, how to act or what tools to be used. It certainly cannot be achieved overnight. Even so, there is increasing evidence that the organizations embarking on this path are finding greater profitability, as technology costs decrease, and additional efficiency gains are reached. 

To take advantage of the upcoming opportunities, boards and executives will have to set the right sustainability strategy and find effective partners and tools to bring it to life, creating value for their businesses, while making a relevant impact on the world.

This keynote will explore the potential of sustainable development to fight climate change, whilst generating profitability.

In recent years, the world has seen a revolution in the field of solar energy activity, as by 2019, it had surpassed wind onshore in worldwide capacity. Being the world’s fastest growing energy source, the advantages of solar power are well known: it is a free, renewable and clean energy.

As the energy transition starts moving downstream, distribution generation will support this growth (3x installed capacity of solar DG in the next 10 years), as more and more people and organizations are keen to produce their own energy.

In addition, new models, such as Local Energy Communities, are emerging, making room to more business opportunities and a more inclusive energy transition.

This keynote will talk about the solar revolution and how companies can take the most out of this rising opportunity.

Electric mobility will be extremely powerful as an electrification and decentralization driver, as it shows great electrification potential, with transportation today directly contributing with 25% of global CO2 emissions, and only 1% of it being electric today.

The good news is it has been picking up, as global passenger EV sales jumped from 450,000 in 2015 to around 2.3 million in 2020 (x5 in 5Y) and are expected to keep rising, as battery prices fall, energy density improves, more charging infrastructure is built, and sales spread to new markets.

But is this growth enough? What can be done to keep accelerating EVs' adoption?

Driving e-mobility further can only be possible through structural change, a change that needs to be built upon common goals and a close collaboration between global organizations, public entities, the private sector and each one of us.

In this panel you will listen to renowned experts talk about upcoming trends and how the different stakeholders, such as companies all over the world, can join the green mobility movement.

Flexibility has become a common by-word for the energy transition. 

What is energy flexibility? Power system flexibility is the ability to respond in a timely manner to variations in electricity supply and demand, and it stands at the core of this transformation. While everyone agrees that we need more flexibility in future power systems, views vary widely on how to achieve this, particularly to improve grid integration and make maximum use of solar and wind potential. 

Efforts have been made towards developing an understanding of what technical solutions for flexibility are available – in power plants, grids, storage and on the demand side – as well as to start developing the right regulatory and framework attending to local specificities. And although the power sector regulation is complex and country-specific, it is possible and relevant to take learnings from countries where this market is more mature.   

This panel will allow to explore the topic of flexibility and of how it can bring new opportunities for companies who are willing to commit to play an even more active role in the energy system. 

We welcome Dutch artist and innovator Daan Roosegaarde to present his lecture ‘’Prototyping the World of Tomorrow”, highlighting his innovative practice which merges people, technology and space to create a future-proof world.  Virtual floods, smart highways and smog sucking towers, Roosegaarde pulls technology out of the screens to explore the social role of design in our world and activate solutions to improve life in urban environments. As an innovative thought leader, he will show the importance of “Schoonheid” (a Dutch word meaning both beauty and cleanliness) as our new value, along with his vision for a better future.