Enel’s Francesco Starace named chief at SEforALL, supporting SDG7

Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), a non-profit international organization that works closely with the United Nations to accelerate and deliver at scale the solutions needed to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7) – access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all – by 2030, has appointed Francesco Starace, Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of Enel S.p.A., as Chair of the SEforALL Administrative Board, SEforALL has announced in a statement.

With less than 10 years to meet SDG7, and with increasing urgency for the world to get on track to meet the Paris Agreement climate goals, SEforALL’s role in driving a global clean energy transition has never been more important, Starace, who has been CEO and General Manager of Enel, one of the largest utilities in Europe, since May 2014, begins in the role with immediate effect.

Speaking on the announcement, Elizabeth Cousens, Vice-Chair of the SEforALL Administrative Board, and President and Chief Executive Officer of the UN Foundation, noted: “Francesco is a visionary energy leader with a long track record in driving business ambition around climate action, sustainability, and energy access for hundreds of millions of  people around the world who lack it. He is a natural choice for this important role at such a critical moment. With SEforALL’s unique mandate from the UN to drive SDG7 action in line with the Paris Agreement, his leadership can help support the organization go even further and faster to achieve our goal of universal energy access.”

As Chair of the Administrative Board – the principal governing body of the organization – Mr. Starace will help shape strategy and operations for the organization at the highest levels. Mr. Starace currently also serves as a member of the UN Global Compact Board of Directors and the Global Commission to End Energy Poverty. He previously served as a member of the former SEforALL Advisory Board and President of EurElectric, the European association for the electricity industry.

“Energy must be at the heart of the global agenda to lead the world on a more sustainable pathway, focusing multi-stakeholder action especially on renewables and energy efficiency, which are key for delivering on the goals of energy access and climate mitigation. I am very proud to join SEforALL and to support its efforts for the clean energy transition and to work together toward achievement of SDG 7,” noted Starace. “My main objective as Chair of the SEforALL Administrative Board will be to cooperate with leading actors to accelerate the critical shift to a more sustainable, modern and accessible energy for all. I have great confidence in SEforALL leadership and its unique strengths to tackle the complexity of the energy challenges and to support ensuring the fundamental right to electricity for everyone, globally.”

The announcement comes after SEforALL recently released a new three-year business plan to help drive scaled action towards sustainable energy for development and energy transitions. The ambitious plan recognizes the need to strengthen global advocacy while expanding activities that prioritize data-driven decision-making, strategic partnerships and country-specific implementation.

Welcoming his appointment, Damilola Ogunbiyi, CEO and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All and Co-Chair of UN-Energy, said: “With ambitious action we can still achieve SDG7 by 2030, but the next few years are critical to increase energy access – especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. SEforALL’s leadership is pivotal to deliver this vision and why I’m delighted to welcome Francesco Starace as our new Chair of the Administrative Board. Francesco brings incredible experience that can help SEforALL deliver an energy transition that is truly inclusive, equitable and leaves no one behind.”

Jinkosolar among participants at UN Climate Action Summit 2019

JinkoSolar, one of the largest and most innovative solar module manufacturers in the world, took part in yesterday’s UN Climate Action Summit 2019 in New York, the company announced.

JinkoSolar led discussions with attending leaders about the impact of climate change, the company noted in a statement.

To move forward on ambitious climate action globally, UN Secretary-General António Guterres invited over 100 heads of state, government leaders, the private sector, civil society, local authorities and other international organizations. This event was one of five high-level summits during the 74th Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 74), which was officially convened on September 17, 2019.

The significant economic benefits of renewable energy, in particular, solar power, was among the most urgent topics of discussion.

The goal of the UN 2019 Climate Summit is to challenge state regions, cities, companies and investors to step up and propose actionable solutions. The plans proposed from the summit will contribute to the 25th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 25) as part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) scheduled for December 2019.

Ms. Qian Jing, Vice President of JinkoSolar, commented: “As grid parity becomes a reality in over 100 countries and regions worldwide, renewable energy from solar power opens up incredible possibilities to solve problems. As large as reversing deserts into an oasis, reusing abandoned land and bringing new life to arid soil. This is all possible because of the 95% reduction in PV power generation costs over the past decade. With solar electrification on the rise, cutting down trees for fire and heating will be a thing of the past. Solar power will also redefine how we build new energy-powered automobiles, solar building materials will dominate architectural design, and building surfaces will become generators to store solar power. Once policy and the mechanism for economic incentives are in-sync, we will see more enterprise collaboration on technical innovation and this will accelerate energy transformation around the world.”