8th Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM8)

China hosted the eighth Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM8) in Beijing, China, on 6–8 June 2017. The annual meeting of energy ministers and other high-level delegates from the 24 member countries and the European Union provided an opportunity to leverage high-level political will and private sector leadership to drive ambitious, real-world clean energy policies and actions.

The vision for the ministerial was to:

• Demonstrate and celebrate the “Revolution Now” of rapidly decreasing costs and increasing deployment of clean energy technologies and the national and global value propositions of economic opportunity, health and welfare, and energy security of the transition to modern, clean, and efficient energy.
• Deepen and broaden government participation and leadership in the CEM forum to drive greater progress in the global clean energy transformation.
• Strengthen action-oriented partnerships and collaborations with international organizations, business and industry, foundations, and others with aligned interests to raise the overall impact of all efforts.
• Launch new, high-impact CEM campaigns that tap into globally relevant and timely clean energy areas and that encourage concrete commitments from all CEM member governments, the private sector, and other partners.

CEM8 was co-located with the Second Mission Innovation Ministerial (MI-2). While the CEM focuses on scaling the deployment of clean energy technologies and solutions that are available today, MI focuses on scaling R&D for the new technologies of the future. Together, CEM and MI afford the world’s leading nations a robust platform for accelerating clean energy innovation and facilitating its uptake by a global market.CEM8 Government Participants’ Portal

Agenda

In addition to working sessions for energy ministers and other high-level policymakers, CEM8 featured a public–private action summit with keynote speakers, thematic panel discussions, and opportunities for high-profile announcements of ambitious clean energy efforts. It also included a two-day technology exhibition demonstrating breakthrough clean energy technologies, products, and business models; and an Innovation Theater showcasing potentially game-changing clean energy innovations and inspirations. In addition, CEM8 included invitation-only roundtable discussions with ministers, business leaders, and other clean energy experts, as well as a series of side events, forums, and workshops. Review the CEM8 agenda.

Public-Private Action Summit

The Public-Private Action Summit brought together government and business leaders, investors, and other clean energy stakeholders for keynote speeches, panel discussions, and recognition events to highlight innovation and leadership. The Summit also included announcements of new partnerships and ambitious efforts to drive the global clean energy transformation.

Technology Exhibition

CEM8/MI-2 featured a major two-day technology exhibition featuring companies from around the world demonstrating breakthrough clean energy technologies, products, and business models and startups working to drive change in the clean energy sector and the worldwide economy in the years and decades to come. The 4,300-square-meter exhibition covered six key sectors: renewable energy, energy-efficient technologies and facilities, energy storage technologies and facilities, digital energy and smart grid, electric vehicles and related technologies, and finance and business model innovation. 

Innovation Theater

CEM8/MI-2 featured a new Innovation Theater event to showcase potentially game-changing clean energy innovations and inspirations from China and around the world. Modeled after “TED Talks,” the Innovation Theater featured innovators, scientists, and entrepreneurs presenting breakthrough products and emerging clean energy topics in front of clean energy professionals, financiers, and global and Chinese media. 

Public-Private Roundtables

These invitation-only small group discussions provided an opportunity for ministers, global business leaders, and other experts to engage in high-level discussion and bring their knowledge, expertise, and perspective to four particularly topical clean energy issues and challenges: digitalization and productivity, optimization of policies for renewable energy and energy efficiency, EV deployment policies for the next decade, and leveraging city-scale building efficiency action. Learn more about the roundtable topics.

Side Events

A series of side events was organized by partner organizations on topics such as electric vehicles, the economic transition to clean energy, lighting, energy efficiency, and clean energy investment.