Spain is currently undergoing a renewable energy revolution, with the Navarra region set to be the first in Europe to be self-sufficient in renewable energy. Navarra, Europe’s sixth largest producer of wind power, currently sustains approximately 70 percent of its electricity needs from renewable energy sources, including 900-megawatt capacity of installed wind power, ranking it ahead of the United Kingdom, Sweden, and France.
How has Navarra transformed its energy economy? What implications might the experience of Navarra hold for national and regional energy and climate policies in Spain and the United States? What role do regional and local governments have to play in the transformation of the energy economy? At the opening of the Spanish presidency of the European Union, what opportunities might Navarra represent with respect to closer bilateral cooperation on energy issues between Spain and the United States, and between the European Union and the United States?
Introductions:
Jorge Dezcallar, Ambassador of Spain to the United States
Keynote Speakers:
Miguel Sanz, President, Navarra
Cathy Zoi, Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, US Department of Energy
Panelists:
Esteban Morrás, Global wind energy pioneer and founder of EHN and Gamesa Wind and later the CEO of Acciona Energy
Diego Belmonte, CEO and founder, Esound Energy, and former CEO, Fotovatio
Juan José Armendáriz, Director of the Center for Renewable Energy (CENER) in Pamplona
Steve Mufson, Energy Correspondent, Washington Post
Kate Gordon, Vice President for Energy and Environment, Center for American Progress
Moderator:
Paul Isbell, Director of the Energy and Climate Change Program, Elcano Royal Institute, and Senior Analyst for Spain-US Relations.