IIEA and ESB to host major international Energy Summit on 18 September 2015• Venue: The Events and Conference Centre at The Mansion House, Dublin.• Topic: The IIEA and ESB are hosting a major international summit entitled: “Powershift: Why Everything You Thought You Knew About Energy is Wrong” focusing on the future of the energy industry and the changes that will shape it.This Energy Summit will bring together national and international business leaders, expert policymakers, high-level officials and leading industry figures to discuss the transformative changes currently taking place in the energy sector due the convergence of energy and digital technologies.This summit will be of interest to:• Investors and the broader business community• Stakeholders in the energy and digital/high tech industries• Consumers and the general public

Business leaders, industry innovators and policy makers from across Europe, the US and Australia will challenge long-standing assumptions on energy and start a conversation on how connectivity will shape the future of the energy industry and review how policy will impact it.  Distinguished speakers include: Maroš Šefčovič, Vice President for Energy Union, European Commission; Alex White T.D., Minister for Communications Energy and Natural Resources; Michael Liebreich, Founder, Bloomberg New Energy Finance and Seán O’Driscoll, CEO, Glen Dimplex.

Commenting on the summit, Tom Arnold, Director General, IIEA said, “A power shift is taking place within the energy industry due to the growing opportunities being presented by the fusion of energy and ICT, coupled with an increased drive for sustainability. The Powershift Summit will discuss a range of provocative visions for the future of energy and explore topics such as: the role of the consumer as an active participant in distributed energy; the connected home and the connected car; the latest trends in energy investment; new business models for the future of the utility; and the emerging EU policy context and impact of the Energy Union”.Pat O’Doherty, ESB Chief Executive, said, “Technology is enabling profound changes in the way that we generate and consume energy, and this has huge implications not just for the energy sector, but also for society as a whole and our economy. As Ireland’s foremost energy company with deep roots in every community in Ireland, ESB is committed to promoting public debate on emerging energy choices so that as a nation, we can make better decisions about our collective energy future. This ground breaking summit brings together global experts to discuss various scenarios emerging in the energy sector, and how these could impact on investment, social equity and the pace of decarbonisation in Ireland.”Alex White TD, Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, added: “This summit comes at an important time in the evolution of Ireland’s energy policy. I will soon publish an Energy White Paper, which will outline this Government’s determination to lead a transition to deliver sustainable, secure and affordable energy to our citizens, communities and businesses. The transition will address the broad challenges facing the energy sector to the year 2050, particularly the need to act conclusively on climate change.  Importantly, it will also place citizens and communities at the centre of energy policy and empower them to make sustainable choices.”The full line up of speakers and contributors include:·           Maroš Šefčovič, Vice President for Energy Union, European Commission·           Alex White T.D., Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources·           Michael Liebreich, Founder, Bloomberg New Energy Finance·           Diarmuid O’Connell, Vice President for Business Development, Tesla·           Scott McGaraghan, Head of Energy Partner Products, Nest Labs·           Amory Lovins, Cofounder and Chief Scientist, The Rocky Mountain Institute (video address)·           Dr. Eleni Pratsini, Director of IBM-Research, Ireland·           Seán O’Driscoll, Chief Executive, Glen Dimplex·           Pat O’Doherty, Chief Executive, ESB·           Matthew Warren, Chief Executive, Energy Supply Association of Australia·           Dr. Philip Lewis, Chief Executive, VaasaETT

For Press Enquiries please contact: Shane Finnegan, Aiken PR, shane@aikenpr.com / 01 775 5890Kevin Gaughran, ESB Press Officer, kevin.gaughran@esb.ie / 0879103389For Conference Registration: Please contact Lynn.Fitzgerald@iiea.com / 01 8746756For Further Information on the conference: please seehttp://www.iiea.com/ESB-FutureOfEnergy/index.html