Conference Information

A one-day research conference combining the latest academic research with discussion from the companies and investors who are driving the adoption of green technologies.

Mitigating and adapting to climate change demands the widespread adoption of innovative technologies. Development finance has a critical role to play in supporting the private sector to demonstrate the viability of such technologies and delivering adaptation at scale.

This conference will bring researchers and practitioners together, to share insights about the challenges and opportunities in climate technology adoption across Africa and Asia. The agenda will focus on four thematic areas – 1. Agriculture 2. Commercial and Industry, 3. Grid technologies, 4. Green financing.

Agenda

09:00 – 09:15 Welcome and introductory remarks

  • Paddy Carter, Head of Development Economics, British International Investment
  • Dennis Novy, Chief Economist, FCDO and CEPR

09:15 - 10:45 1. Agriculture – technologies for adaptation and resilience

  • Josh Deutschman, University of Chicago – water storage
  • Tomoko Harigaya, Chief Economist, Precision Development – precision agriculture
  • Jessica Rudder, Oregon State University – new seed varieties
  • Usha Zehr, Executive Director, Grow Indigo
  • Alec Martin, Director of Impact, AgDevCo
  • Shailendra Tiwari, Founder and co-CEO, Fasal

10:45 – 11:00 Break

11:00 – 12:30 2. Commercial and industry – decarbonisation of hard to abate sectors

  • Stephanie Hirmer, University of Oxford - green hydrogen
  • Kinar Kent, Chief Executive Officer, Westgass – green fertiliSer
  • Mohammed Zahidullah, Chief Sustainability Officer, DBL
  • Ralf Martin, Principal Economist for Environment and Sustainability, IFC, Imperial College London and CEPR
  • Munish Modi, Group CFO, African Industries Group
  • Lindsay Whitfleld, Copenhagen Business School 

12:30 – 13:30 Break

3. Grid technologies – the transition to renewable power systems

13:30 – 14:15 Part A: grid reliability and demand management

  • Susanna Berkouwer, University of Pennsylvania – grid reliability
  • Robyn Meeks, Duke University – demand management
  • Samir Ashta, Chief Financial Officer, Apraava Energy

14:15 – 15:30 Part B: grid infrastructure and energy trading

  • Nicolas Ryan, Yale University and CEPR – energy markets
  • Chris Flavin, Chief Executive Officer, Gridworks Partners
  • Satish Talmale, Chief Executive Officer, Energrid
  • Evan Rice, Chief Executive Officer, Etana Energy

15:30 – 15:45 Break

15:45 – 17:00 4. Green financing – the enabler of technology adoption

  • Marlene Mueller, Head of Green Bonds, Symbiotics
  • Maria Smith, Chief Impact Officer, British International Investment
  • Lex Rutten, Executive Director, Specialised Lending, Rabobank
  • Nijhad Jamal, Managing Partner, Equator Venture Capital tbc
  • Ganesh Parajuli, Chief-Retail and Small Business Loans, NMB Bank Limited

Attendance
The conference can be attended online, register here to watch online.

Contacts
Paddy Carter [email protected] and Mandy Chan [email protected].

Organisers 
British International Investment (BII) and Private Enterprise Development in Low-Income Countries Initiative (PEDL), the Private Sector Development Research Network (PSDRN) and the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)