Parallel Session 5: Powering the future: harnessing clean energy
Moderator
DR. SHOBHAKAR DHAKAL
Professor, Asian Institute of Technology (AIT)
Professor Shobhakar Dhakal is a Professor at Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand, where he also previously served as Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Dean. He specializes in climate policies and net-zero transitions, cities and climate change, climate finance, energy transition, and the SDG tradeoffs and synergies.
He is a Coordinating Lead Author of the IPCC’s fifth, sixth, and the seventh (special report on cities) Assessment Reports. Recognized among the top 1% of global researchers in energy, he has published over 140 journal and book contributions, involved in several UN and scientific community-led reports, and supervised 70+ graduate students. His work influences energy and climate policies worldwide.
Keynote Speaker
MR FRANCESCO LA CAMERA
Director General of International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)
Francesco La Camera is the Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). He brings more than thirty years of experience in the fields of climate, sustainability, and international cooperation. He is responsible for leading the delivery of IRENA’s work programme and strategy in cooperation with the Agency’s member states. At a critical time for climate change and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, Mr. La Camera is tasked with redefining the structure and operations of the Agency in response to the urgent needs of its members. Under his leadership, the Agency has forged a series of new strategic partnerships with UN organisations including UNDP, UNFCCC and Green Climate Fund among others. A key priority of his tenure is to implement a more action-oriented approach to the Agency’s work.
Panelists
Mr. Hitendra Dev Shakya
Managing Director, Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), Nepal
Mr. Hitendra Dev Shakya is the Managing Director of Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) and a seasoned expert in Nepal’s energy sector. Since joining NEA in 2045 BS, he has held key positions including Director of System Planning and power sector specialist at Millennium Challenge Nepal. He also served as a mini-grid expert at AEPC. A strong advocate for leveraging Nepal’s global technical diaspora, he champions capacity building and innovation in clean energy. Under his leadership, the NEA Engineering Company was established in 2017 to deliver engineering design services for generation, transmission, and distribution. The company has led pioneering hydropower projects, introduced electric vehicles, and conducted key environmental impact assessments, advancing Nepal’s path toward sustainable energy development.
Dr. Lorenzo Squintani
Professor, Energy and Climate School, University of Groningen, The Netherlands
Prof. Dr Lorenzo Squintani is Professor of Energy Law and Director of the Wubbo Ockels School for Energy and Climate at the University of Groningen (The Netherlands). He is also founder and member of the managing board of the Like!Me Living Lab which studies how to improve the effectiveness of public participation practices in the field of energy and environmental matters (link).
He is also founder and member of the managing boards of the European Environmental Law Forum (EELF.info) and of the U4 Environmental Law Network. Besides, he is Chief Editor of the Journal for European Environmental and Planning Law (JEEPL) and Series Editor of the EELF Book Series (http://intersentia.com/(…)eries/show/id/28463/). His research and teaching interests include EU substantive law and EU environmental, energy and climate law. Prof. Squintani has authored several publications in the areas of European environmental, energy and climate law, an overview of which is available at http://www.rug.nl/(…)l.squintani/research. Prof. Squintani regularly advises Dutch, EU, and/or International institutions on (EU) environmental, energy and climate issues.
Dr. Achyut Prasad Wagle
Vice-Chancellor, Kathmandu University, Nepal
Prof. Achyut Prasad Wagle is the Vice-Chancellor of Kathmandu University. Earlier, he held the positions of Registrar of the university, Associate Dean of the School of Management, and Head of the Management Science Department at the School of Management. He holds a PhD in Economics from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, an MSc in Economics from the University of Birmingham, UK and an MA from Tribhuvan University, Nepal.
Prof. Wagle has also held several important public positions including Advisor to the Prime Minister of Nepal and Advisor to the Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank, the Central Bank of the country. He is a seasoned fortnightly columnist for The Kathmandu Post and Kantipur, the most popular daily newspapers in Nepal. He teaches Econometrics and other core courses on economics and research. His research interests include business environment, regional economy, fiscal federalism and entrepreneurship.
Dr. Aditi Mukherji
Director, Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Impact Action Platform (CGIAR) Kenya
Dr Aditi Mukherji is a Director, Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Impact Action Platform of the CGIAR. Earlier, she was a Principal Researcher at the International Water Management Institute based in India, and before that she led the Water and Air Theme at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in Nepal. Aditi was a Coordinating Lead Author (CLA) of the Water Chapter in the Working Group II of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published in February 2022, and is a member, Core Writing Team of the IPCC’s AR6 Synthesis Report which will be published in March 2023. Her areas of specialization are groundwater governance, energy-irrigation nexus, climate change adaptation and community management of water resources. She has worked in South Asia including the Hindu Kush Himalayan region, Nile basin and in Central Asia. She has published over 80 peer reviewed research papers, including four edited books. In 2012, she was awarded the Inaugural Norman Borlaug Field Award, endowed by the Rockefeller Foundation and given by the World Food Prize Foundation, USA. Aditi is a human geographer by training and has a PhD from Cambridge University, United Kingdom where she was a Gates Cambridge Scholar. She has been widely quoted by the media, including New York Times, BBC, DW International, CNN, Al Jazeera and various news outlets in South Asia.
