Call for papers on the future of energy brands

Reykjavik, July 13th, 2020

The energy sector has been undergoing structural transformations driven by the decarbonization of energy consumption and an increasing role of electricity in final uses, particularly due to the growth of renewable generation. Such transformations also led to increasingly decentralized energy systems, and digital power grids all over the world are connecting consumers who are more empowered than ever to take control over their energy consumption.

It is against this backdrop that the academic debate on the changing nature of energy brands becomes relevant as a way to feed new perspectives to the players in this sector. Enel Foundation is joining the University of Iceland, School of Business, and LarsEn Energy Branding to support a scientific symposium dubbed “Charge Academic”.

As Knowledge Partner of the academic symposium taking place on the sidelines of the Charge Energy Branding conference, Enel Foundation is inviting researchers from around the world to submit abstracts and will help select the most significant ones to be presented at the event.

Particularly in a post-COVID scenario, Charge Academic aims to stimulate and share studies on sustainability and a just energy transition considering the role of energy companies in having the world bouncing back greener. Orientating all the investments in the energy sector towards a sustainable development path worldwide will be a crucial part of the global recovery, representing a chance to rebuild rather than a cost to endure. To this aim, Charge Academic is especially welcoming papers that focus on how financial performance is affected by strategic brand management, sustainable positioning and effective communication.

To stimulate researchers and academics to submit abstracts, Enel Foundation, Charge Energy Branding and the University of Iceland held in June and July two webinars. The first, “Green brands are profitable”, carried out on June, 15, focused on the impacts of COVID on the energy sector, departing from an analysis of the resilience demonstrated by green brands in the stock markets during the pandemic. The second, “The Circular Energy Consumer”, held on July, 13, saw panelists discuss ways energy brands can properly communicate sustainability performance. Our very own Managing Director Carlo Papa contributed to both the sessions, joined by Dr. Fridrik Larsen from University of Iceland and Kevin O’Donovan, Technology Evangelist, who moderated the two webinars.

Read all the topics covered in the call for papers, and make your submission by July, 15 here.  Abstracts will be peer-reviewed, and results will be announced on July 30 whereas accepted full papers are due to be presented on September 28 and 29 in Reykjavík, Iceland, or through virtual presentations.

Since 2016, CHARGE has brought together high-level professional stakeholders to share knowledge on some of the most pressing issues of our times. Influential academics have always attended, and the launch of the Charge Academic Symposium was a natural extension of the program. After a global research identifying more than 25.000 academics potentially able to contribute to the topics, the involvement of Enel Foundation as Knowledge Partner will allow the program to leverage in developing the program on a robust global platform of academic and industry experts.

Enel Foundation will also chair one of the sessions at Charge Academic 2020, focusing on “Brands, Sustainability and the Bottom Line”, and present research projects recently published, or currently ongoing, on the challenges and opportunities of the power sector in the journey to sustainability.