Pathways To Energy Transition: Recap & Key Takeaways

On November 28, 2024, AMIRES hosted the workshop Pathways to Energy Transition: Innovations in Decarbonization in Prague, bringing together experts from industry, research, and policy to explore Europe’s decarbonization efforts.  

The event was a full day of interactive sessions, thought-provoking discussions, and networking opportunities, culminating in a cocktail reception. 

Panel Discussion Highlights 

1. Biggest Challenges 

• Regulations and Funding: Experts underscored the dual challenge of navigating regulatory frameworks while securing sufficient funding to bridge the gap between academic research and industry needs. 

• Collaboration is crucial—the “spider in the net” connecting players in the ecosystem. 

2. What is needed? 

• Room for “crazy” Ideas: Some of the world’s most groundbreaking innovations started as unconventional ideas. However, participants emphasized that academia currently lacks the freedom to foster such out-of-the-box thinking, stressing the need for creativity and risk-taking. 

• Innovation Outside Academia: Many impactful ideas originate beyond the academic sphere, pointing to the importance of cross-sector collaboration. 

Takeaways from the Day 

• Importance of synergy between energy production, storage, and usage to ensure a holistic approach to decarbonization. 

• Need for sustainable, scalable solutions with a clear vision of the challenges we face and how to tackle them. 

• Academic ideas need a pathway to scale up. Participants stressed the importance of academia collaborating with industry and policy makers to implement ideas effectively, guided by a clear vision of “where we are going and what we are doing.” 

• Persistence and patience – many successful solutions today were once considered dead ends. Small steps, however challenging, pave the way for long-term success. 

The workshop – Pathways to Energy Transition: Innovations in Decarbonization – was powered by LUMINOSITY project and concluded with actionable insights for driving Europe’s energy transition forward. Thank you to all participants for contributing to this event!

LUMINOSITY received funding from the EU’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme under GA No 101147653.

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