WASHINGTON (May 28, 2014) – Robert Wilkins, vice president public affairs, Danfoss, moderated an executive dialogue session during the 2014 Energy Efficiency Global Forum (EE Global) held in Washington, D.C. on May 20 and 21.
For the seventh year, Danfoss was a sponsor of EE Global, which is hosted by the Alliance to Save Energy. The invitation-only event convened more than 500 high-level representatives from industry, government and academia, representing 28 countries and every sector of the economy, with the goal of integrating effective policies and business practices into actionable plans for the next generation of energy efficiency.
The executive dialogue session moderated by Wilkins – The Building as an Organism: How can we holistically approach buildings and their management systems? – explored converging technologies that could shift the way energy is used in commercial buildings and change the role of electric utilities.
According to Wilkins, “This topic is particularly relevant, since buildings consume 40 percent of the energy used in the U.S., and there is much work being done on whole building system energy efficiency, both in the public and private sectors. By looking at the building as a whole, instead of discreet pieces, we can achieve the next leap in energy efficiency.”
Joining Wilkins in the panel discussion were Chuck Kutscher, director, buildings and thermal systems center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory; Richard Meyer, manager, policy analysis, American Gas Association; Roland Risser, director, building technologies office, U.S. Department of Energy; and Rep. Peter Welch, U.S. House of Representatives.
Also during EE Global, John Galyen, president, Danfoss North America, had the opportunity to introduce Peter Taksoe-Jensen, Denmark’s ambassador to the United States, who accepted a 2014 EE Visionary Award on behalf of Denmark. EE Visionary Awards are selected by the EE Global International Steering Committee and bestowed upon recipients from different regions of the world in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the advancement of energy efficiency infrastructure, policy and adoption. Other award recipients this year included Arnold Schwarzenegger, founding chair of Regions 20, and Songdo City, South Korea.
Gaylen congratulated the ambassador for Denmark’s outstanding work in energy efficiency. “Danfoss was founded more than 80 years ago in Denmark and our global headquarters remains there today,” he said, “so, as a company, we are closely connected to the work the Danish government has done—and continues to do—on progressive energy and environmental standards driving the next generation of energy efficiency.”
“Our Danish heritage has made energy efficiency and sustainability a part of our DNA. We continually invest in technologies and solutions to improve energy efficiency in the built environment. We look to global solutions that will advance our economies, our industries and world sustainability for generations to come,” Galyen continued. “But those solutions depend on active deployment, so I hope that today we will recommit ourselves to driving these technologies into the market.”
To close the two-day forum, Danfoss sponsored a VIP reception on Capitol Hill, where U.S. Sen. Rob Portman provided parting remarks.
“As a leader in their respective industry, support from sponsors like Danfoss is critical to evidencing that EE Global is a best-in-class event,” said Kateri Callahan, president of the Alliance to Save Energy.