Solving the Climate Crisis: The case of changing energy management practices in organisations in Australia.
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
1 Cyclatron Road
Berkeley, California
15 November, 2013
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL or Berkeley Lab) is part of the national laboratory system supported by the U.S. Department of Energy. It is managed by the University of California (UC) and is a leading research institution on energy-related issues including energy efficiency policy. This seminar, hosted by Dr. Edward Vine of the International Energy Studies Group at LBNL provides a unique perspective on energy efficiency policy and practice in Australia.
SEMINAR DESCRIPTION
Between 2006 and 2011, 320 of Australia’s largest energy consuming organizations implemented 88.8 petajoules of energy savings and reduced greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 8.21 MtCO2-e. The period over which these savings occurred saw the introduction of national energy efficiency legislation and a carbon tax, rising energy prices and growing interest from organizational stakeholders such as investors and customers regarding the energy performance of organizations. In this seminar Patrick will draw on his PhD research to present an analysis of this complex social setting and the factors that influenced the development and adoption of improved energy management practices within organizations over the period. First he will provide background on energy efficiency policy in Australia. Then he will describe the research methodology including the rationale for developing a multi-level process model based on institutional theory to conduct the study. Finally, Patrick will present the research findings and discuss the implications for the development of government policies that aim to accelerate the adoption of energy management systems and practices in organizations.
SPEAKER INTRODUCTION
Patrick is a PhD researcher at the University of Technology, Sydney and Director of Sustainable Business Pty Ltd, a management consultancy that he founded in 1997. He has partnered with corporate and government clients on projects that span corporate climate change strategy, energy efficiency training and education and energy efficiency policy development. Key projects include advising on the development and implementation of the Australian Energy Efficiency Opportunities Act (2006), developing a stakeholder engagement strategy to support the introduction of national energy management legislation in Mongolia, and developing content for the Advanced Energy Performance Certificate Program at the City University of New York. Patrick was an expert reviewer and case study author for the International Energy Agency's recently published Policy Pathway on Energy Management Programmes for Industry. In this seminar Patrick will present the findings from his recently submitted PhD research which examines the strategies and practices that leading businesses in Australia have developed to accelerate energy efficiency improvement between 2006 and 2012. The findings from Patrick's research provide important insights into the actions that policy makers and practitioners can take to accelerate the adoption of effective energy management systems and practices in organisations.
Information on the seminar is available here