Powering the Energy Transition: A Tale of Two Hemispheres | Part V: Regulatory Environments

On October 3, the GBSN for Energy Transition Impact Community held it’s fifth part in their virtual series, Powering the Energy Transition: A Tale of Two Hemispheres Part V: Regulatory Environments. This virtual series was designed to convene perspectives through the lens of the global north and global south, while exploring key elements of the energy transition journey. We invited both practitioners and academia from around the world to join us for this discussion.

We’d like to give a special thanks to our Impact Community Leads, Lwazi Ngubevana, Director at the African Energy Leadership Centre (AELC), Wits Business School, Sarah Craig, Programme Manager Energy Transition, Rotterdam School of Management, Gregory Bean, Director, Guitterez Energy Management Institution from Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston, Dr. Yashar Ghiassi-Farrokhfal, Associate Professor at the Department of Technology and Operations Management at Rotterdam School of Management, and Maurice Radebe, Head and Director of Wits Business School, as well as our four panelists, Madeleine Klein, Dr. Nandi Malumbazo, Ntokozo Ngcwabe and Leonie Reins. Thank you for your thought provoking dialogue and for enlightening us with your shared combination of expertise, passion and engaging conversation.

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  Madeleine Klein

  Managing Director of Policy & Market Strategy
  ENGIE Distributed Solar
  USA
  
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  Dr. Nandi Malumbazo

  Senior Lecturer
  African Energy Leadership Centre (AELC) and School of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering
  South Africa
  
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  Ntokozo Ngcwabe

  Deputy Director General
  Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE)
  South Africa
  
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  Leonie Reins

  Professor for Public Law and Sustainability
  Erasmus School of Law
  Netherlands
  

Watch the Recording

Session Synopsis

“Powering the Energy Transition Part V: Regulatory Environments” featured guest speakers Madeleine Klein, Dr. Nandi Malumbazo, Ntokozo Ngcwabe and Leonie Reins and was moderated by Greg Bean.

Co-hosted by University of Houston, C.T. Bauer College of Business, Wits Business School, and Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, The discussion explored the key elements of the energy transition journey through the global north and global south lens.

In Part V: Regulatory Environments, experts from academia and industry explored the complex interplay of incentive structures, policy frameworks, regulation and government intervention that shape the transition to sustainable energy sources. The discussion explored the ways in which these interventions both reflect and shape economic realities and social considerations in pursuit of a just energy transition.

Greg Bean moderated an interactive dialogue with the four speakers, addressing questions like:

• Priorities and perceptions of what constitutes a “just” energy transition differ across contexts. What are the elements of a just energy transition that are most emphasized in the policy and regulatory trends in your environment, and what does that suggest about national/regional priorities?
• These different priorities across regions can lead (and have led) to unintended consequences on other regions. What are some of the related risks that you see, and what would you like to see happen to mitigate these?
• Looking specifically at net zero government policy actions in your hemisphere, on a scale from 1 to 10, how would you rate that progress, so far, with 10 meaning that the necessary policies and regulations are essentially in place?  Why do you think this is?
• How well do policies and regulations steering the energy transition consider the impact on people (including living standards and workforce)? What would you like to see receive further emphasis? 

GBSN for Energy Transition Impact Community

The goal of the GBSN for Energy Transition impact community is to advance knowledge on the business-related challenges and opportunities of the transition to a global sustainable energy system in line with the energy-related themes of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. These include topics like:

• Energy Access
• Energy Security
• Air Pollution
• Adverse Effects and Ancillary Risks
• Energy Efficiency
• Financing