The Regional Leaders Summit (RLS)

The RLS Energy Network is supported by the framework of the Regional Leaders Summit (RLS). The Regional Leaders Summit (RLS) is a forum comprising seven regional governments (state, federal state, or provincial), which together represent approximately 177 million people across five continents, and a collective GDP of 3 trillion USD. The regions are: Bavaria (Germany), Georgia (USA), Québec (Canada), São Paulo (Brazil), Shandong (China), Upper Austria (Austria), and Western Cape (South Africa). Since 2002, the heads of government for these regions have met every two years for a political summit. These summits offer the RLS regions an opportunity for political dialogue.

RLS-Sciences

Within the framework of RLS, RLS-Sciences seeks to leverage the unique composition and strengths of the RLS network to support scientific research within and between the RLS regions. It works to generate and support academic, scientific, and technological exchanges, as well as the initiation of multilateral research projects. RLS-Sciences is comprised of its scientific network and partners across all seven regions, the existing bilateral relationships between the RLS members, and its four multilateral research projects. The multilateral research projects include the pilot project, the Energy Network (2013-ongoing), the RLS-Expert Dialogue on Digitalization (2016-ongoing), Global Campus Aerospace (2016-ongoing), and RLS-Small Satellites (2016-ongoing). 

RLS-Sciences has a governance structure, which supports the four projects and the RLS-Sciences network.

RLS Energy Network

The Energy Network was initiated as a follow-up to the Regional Leaders Summit (RLS) meeting in São Paulo in 2012. It was agreed amongst the participants that renewable sources of energy are a crucial issue that requires extensive research. Due to their unique geographical composition spanning five continents, and in accordance with their research profiles, the RLS regions represent strong potential in this field. Together, the RLS regions can cover all aspects of energy, from production to usage, monitoring to efficiency. The RLS network is used as a means to bring together complementary strengths in energy research to be shared and further developed in a joint effort.

On April 12th, 2012, on the occasion of the Sixth Regional Leaders Summit in São Paulo, the RLS Member States adopted a Final Declaration which included the following commitment (Item 12):

In order to increase the proportion of renewable energy in the total energy consumption, as well as contribute to the security of energy supply and to promote renewable energy on a global scale, we invite our universities, research institutes, and industrial clusters to join forces in the formation of a network, centered on renewable energy and energy efficiency, so that innovations and new products will be developed to achieve these goals. This initiative will be led by the Government of the State of São Paulo until 2014. The intensification of the cooperation in research is necessary to implement these technologies in renewable energy sources and energy efficiency broadly and at a reduced cost.

(From left to right) São Paulo Governor Geraldo Alckmin, Secretary of Energy José Aníbal, and Undersecretary of Renewable Energies Milton Flávio Lautenschläger. Photo Credit: FAPESP

Since 2012, the RLS-Energy Network has held joint workshops in various RLS regions, served as regional experts at conferences, presented joint conference papers, and produced a roadmap towards joint research projects. The first results of this roadmap were presented in 2018 to the 9th Regional Leaders Summit in Québec. An inaugural summer school was also held in 2018, hosted by Québec.

Following the 9th RLS in Québec, the representatives of the seven regional governments released a declaration on the energy transition. Review it here, and read more about the Energy Network's activities here.