schubert.talks 2024

Climate goals are achievable with today’s technology if cross-sector collaboration is accelerated

accilium initiates forward-looking discussions with Wien Energie, Polestar Austria, nobilegroup, and KEBA on shared solutions for the challenges of the energy transition.

120 decision-makers received an answer to why the energy transition is not achievable overnight but still feasible during the fifth edition of schubert.talks, a dialogue platform organized by accilium, held last week in Vienna.

“It is undisputed that the energy transition poses an enormous challenge for all stakeholders,” opened Peter Allan, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of accilium, during the program. “The good news is that we can accelerate and steer it using the tools of digital transformation, the implementation of new technologies, and cross-sector collaboration.”

Collaboration is the key

Thomas Hörmann, Managing Director of Polestar Austria, emphasized the essential role of cross-sector collaboration at the intersection of energy and mobility in his opening keynote: “We firmly believe that the future is electric. However, for the transition to work, it requires the commitment of many stakeholders – from manufacturers and suppliers to grid operators and energy providers. Only by ensuring that emissions are reduced in supply chains and renewable energies are expanded in networks can we achieve our climate goals.”

Wien Energie consistently pursues a step in this direction: “To achieve sustainable and carbon-neutral energy supply by 2040, we must set all levers in motion. With the consistent expansion of renewable energies, new innovative technological solutions, and cross-sector collaborations, we will succeed in the energy transition,” said Alexander Kirchner, Division Manager at Wien Energie during the subsequent panel discussion.

The nobilegroup is pursuing a new path, as its Co-Founder and CEO, Lorena Skiljan, responds: “It is time to offer consumers an alternative energy supply. A clear opportunity to increase their share of green energy independently, have a continuous overview accessible on their mobile phones, and take action easily and swiftly. Nobilegroup is developing a bottom-up energy market, where customers play a central role. In the future, they will become flexibility providers and actively contribute to a functional energy market.”

Jasmine Ramsebner, Portfolio Director at KEBA, is convinced that collaboration in the energy sector not only leads to greater flexibility in supply but also creates new economic incentives. She states, “The electrification of the energy system enables active participation by many new decentralized actors in the energy market. Local producers and storage facilities can be appropriately rewarded for their flexibility, incentivizing their use based on market and supply conditions. For example, e-vehicles and their users become essential, flexible components of a functional renewable energy system!”