More than 2,200 delegates attended the European Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) in Brussels this week, with a further 8,000 participants following events online – making it one of the most successful EUSEW sessions ever. These figures reconfirm its position as the biggest annual event dedicated to renewables and efficient energy use in Europe. 

Based on this year’s theme of 'net-zero energy solutions for a competitive Europe', the 3-day event had a range of guest speakers and different sessions on Europe’s clean energy transition and competitiveness, showcasing climate-neutral solutions. This discussion was supported by a fair of stands and presentations just outside the meeting rooms. 

As ever, one of the highlights of the week were the EUSEW awards, which were divided into 3 categories this year, with 3 impressive finalists under each heading. In the 'Innovation' category, the winner was PHOTORAMA with its proposal for circular solutions to solar panel recycling in Austria. Centrales Villageoises won the award in the 'Local Energy Action' category for creating a network of local communities to develop renewable energy and energy efficiency projects in France. For the award in the category 'Women in Energy', the winner was Rita Gomes, chief executive of Seenergy in Portugal, an award-winning start-up that pioneers the use of renewable energy solutions integrated into household objects. 

A further highlight was the involvement of the Young Energy Ambassadors, following the successful launch of the concept last year. This entails a group of 30 young professionals working in the energy sector, chosen in April for a 12-month period from May 2024, who are included in outreach activities during and after EUSEW. The Young Ambassadors had a closed-door session to co-create recommendations on the future of clean energy for the next Commissioner in charge of energy. 

Here are some of the highlight quotes from this week’s EUSEW 2024 sessions:

'The European grids should be an enabler rather than a bottleneck for the energy transition.' 

Tinne Van der Straeten, Belgian Minister /current President of the Energy Council

'Lowering energy prices must be a priority for all policy makers and decision makers and all business leaders across Europe. This is important for consumers from a social perspective, but also from a competitiveness point of view.' 

Maroš Šefčovič, Executive Vice-President, European Commission

'We will continue to count on this EUSEW community in the quest to build a greener, better, and more competitive energy system.' 

Kadri Simson, European Commissioner for Energy