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articles, events and other posts from the Energy Post community

How to ensure a positive energy balance through design in Sustainable Plus Energy Neighbourhoods

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The world is changing at an increasingly rapid pace. This only reinforces the need to be prepared for future conditions. One proper solution would be to future-proof buildings and cities. With more than two thirds of the world’s population to live in urban areas by 2050, now is the time to reconsider the role cities can play in the shift towards a more sustainable society. In order to build up resilience to the adverse effects of climate change, … [Read more...]

Possible impact of the delegated acts on import of hydrogen in the EU

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18 May 2022, the European Commission released the REPowerEU plans about reduction of the Russian natural gas demand by the end of 2022 and further steps for Europe independence from Russian fossil fuels by 2030. One of the key roles in the REPowerEU plays hydrogen that should replace fossil fuels in industry and transport. For reaching this goal the REPowerEU imposes as the targets 10 million of renewable hydrogen for import by 2030 additionally … [Read more...]

Bringing home Europe’s sustainability supply chain: The continent’s lithium deposits can transform European manufacturing and get Europe to its climate goals

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Europe’s tech sector has a concerning aversion. While the continent has produced many successful cleantech startups, European investors are reluctant to invest in difficult, hardware-based innovations—and the extraction industry that could power them. But it is just these innovations and the raw materials that make them possible, specifically in the sectors of transportation and energy storage, that will foster a successful energy transition and … [Read more...]

Swiss industry and science consortium on track to optimise hydropower production using satellite data

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The “Defrost for Hydropower” project combines SLF’s snow expertise with satellite imagery from Wegaw’s cutting-edge geospatial technology and Hydrique Engineers advanced modelling skills, in order to more accurately predict water flow into hydro dams up to 4 months in advance as well as hydrological inflows on a regional scale. … [Read more...]

Part of the solution for the EU energy crisis is already there, right under your feet

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Every single day, every city on the planet is flushing vast and valuable quantities of thermal energy literally down the drain, wasting the opportunity to recycle wastewater heat. In response, a new information and global mapping portal for wastewater heat recycling has been launched by a leading group of experienced engineers and expert map-makers. wastewaterheat.online The amount of thermal energy available within wastewater is enormous — … [Read more...]

Activating a community energy market for bioenergy: a new e-market environment connects biomass heating supply chain stakeholders

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The e-market environment supports various supply chain stakeholders when developing a community bioenergy project on defining the services and activities needed to support their cases. It demonstrates the various stakeholder interactions and activities/services that must take place to set up an effective and sustainable local supply chain and a community bioenergy project, streamlining the process. The user-friendly, easy to use and intuitive … [Read more...]

EPBD Recast: New provisions need sharpening to hit climate targets, says BPIE

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This policy briefing takes a critical look at the European Commission's December 15th proposal for a revised European Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). While many new tools are introduced, the recast proposal does not yet reflect the crucial role the EPBD should play within the Fit for 55 package. In December 2021, the European Commission published its proposal for revising the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). This … [Read more...]

Synchronous condensers will stabilize the power grid as the Faroe Islands pivot to 100% green energy

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The isolated Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic has an ambitious goal to become the world’s greenest group of islands. That means by 2030, SEV, the islands’ power utility, will be using 100% green electricity from hydropower, solar and wind and potentially tidal streams. As well as being an important climate change initiative, this will bring economic benefits as the Faroes will no longer rely on expensive fossil-fuel imports. However, … [Read more...]

Berkeley Lab study investigates how plentiful electricity turns wholesale prices negative in the US

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The year 2020 upended routines in nearly all aspects of our lives. In the realm of energy economics, we saw prices turn negative for U.S. crude oil, natural gas, and wholesale electricity. While negative prices were unprecedented for oil, similar conditions existed for natural gas in 2019, when pipeline capacity could not accommodate the rapid expansion of associated gas production in the Permian Basin. For electricity, which in comparison to oil … [Read more...]

Increasing energy efficiency in SMEs for a clean energy transition: 7 projects provide guidelines and good practices

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Energy efficiency is one of the basic pillars of the European sustainability agenda that will help the EU to achieve its energy transition and climate change objectives anchored in Article 8 of the EED. Energy efficiency not only allows companies to be more competitive economically, but also enables the EU to proceed boldly towards the 2030 targets for energy efficiency (32.5% improvement in energy efficiency) and the ‘Fit for 55 Package’ under … [Read more...]

A toolbox for energy efficiency in the cold chains of the food and beverage sector

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ICCEE is a 3-year project launched in September 2019 and funded by the European programme Horizon 2020, which aims at turning energy efficiency opportunities of food and beverage companies into actual investments and allowing them to find opportunities to improve the cold chain with a holistic approach. With this aim, a full capacity building programme dedicated to improving the energy performance through direct training and e-learning was … [Read more...]

Implementation map on barriers and success factors for E1st in buildings

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The research in this report by the ENEFIRST project builds on the report ‘Priority areas for implementing Efficiency First’ which identified policy approaches for implementing the E1st principle in the policy areas of buildings and related energy systems (power sector and district heating) with the potential to be fully implemented across the EU. This report analyses in three steps the barriers and success factors specific to nine of these … [Read more...]

European Commission should intensify political action in 2021 to align Renovation Wave with EU Climate Targets, BPIE says.

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In its new analysis, BPIE (Buildings Performance Institute Europe) urges the European Commission to intensify political coordination and coherence in the implementation phase of the Renovation Wave strategy, to ensure full decarbonisation of the EU building stock in line with EU climate goals. … [Read more...]

How 3D-supported workflows are driving efficiency in utility-scale solar construction

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According to Solar Power Europe, the association representing the European solar sector, expectations around the growth of solar in Europe remain strong. In a recent report(1), the organisation concluded that newly installed solar power in the European Union increased by 11% to 18.2 GW in 2020. And market analysis leads to the conclusion that 2020 will be followed by 4 years characterised by stronger demands, with 22.4 GW in installations for … [Read more...]

Long-Term Renovation Strategies not on track to deliver climate-neutrality by 2050, indicating need for full revision of Energy Performance of Buildings Directive

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A new report by the Buildings Performance Institute Europe (BPIE) finds that EU Member States continue to underplay the role of the building sector in delivering a climate-neutral Europe. … [Read more...]