On 23 October, the Secretary General of the United Nations joined Christian Friis Bach, Danish Minister for Development Cooperation, and Anders Bjarklev, President of DTU, in opening the new Centre for Energy Efficiency that DTU is establishing in the UN city of Nordhavnen in partnership with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
Denmark has been chosen to host one of ten ‘hubs’ being set up in connection with a major UN initiative intended to promote sustainable forms of energy at global level. It was the Secretary General of the United Nations himself who launched the global initiative entitled ‘Sustainable energy for all – SE4ALL’ at the 2012 Rio summit. The initiative comprises three ambitious global goals:
- Ensuring universal access to modern energy services
- Doubling the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix
- Doubling the rate of improvement in energy efficiency
“With more than 1,000 staff at DTU involved in research linked to sustainable energy solutions, we have a remarkably strong base of knowledge to draw upon,” says Anders Bjarklev, President of DTU.
“The new centre is an example of how highly specialized knowledge from our research can be brought into play for the benefit of society as a whole. This time, it is at international level that the knowledge can make a real difference in some of the developing countries around the world. We are proud that DTU is working with the UN to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing the world in the context of sustainable energy solutions,” he adds.
The Danish government is supporting the initiative and announced last year that it was keen to establish what is known as a ‘SE4ALL Hub’ in Denmark to help promote the UN’s energy goals. The centre is a partnership between DTU and the United Nations Environment Programme, with the Danish government providing some funding. For more than 20 years, DTU has enjoyed close working relationship around the UNEP Risø Centre, and this partnership model is now being transferred to the new centre.