District Heating is an efficient way to heat homes, particularly in a country like Latvia where 58% of its primary energy consumption is used for heating. But SelÄ«na VancÄne at Riga City Council is very concerned that the draft EU Recovery plans do not include any support under the climate goals for district heating projects. Perhaps itâs because of a blind spot: most of Europe is prioritising individual heating units powered by electricity. … [Read more...]
Coal Phase-Out in Central Europe: cooperation is better than law suits
On Monday (February 22nd 2021) the Czech government announced their intention to file a lawsuit in the EU Court of Justice against Polandâs plan to âexpand the miningâ at Turow, saying it can endanger the drinking water for up to 30,000 people living in the Liberec Region. Frank Umbach at EUCERS argues such a lawsuit sets a dangerous precedent that could stand in the way of regional cooperation and achieving the EUâs climate goals. Instead, the … [Read more...]
EU, U.S. exploring new sources of Rare Earth Minerals, should China limit exports
Reports are emerging that China is considering the restriction of the export of rare earth minerals, as a result of tensions with the U.S. Given China controls around 80% of global supply it would have severe consequences for not just advanced military applications (the presumed primary target) but also clean energy technologies like EVs and wind turbines. However, if the threat is carried out, Lukas TrakimaviÄius explains how this could backfire … [Read more...]
EU Buildings Renovations: get ready for minimum energy performance standards (MEPS)
To meet Europeâs 2030 climate targets the buildings sector must cut its emissions by 60%. That means annual renovations need to jump by an order of magnitude; at the moment itâs crawling at 1% per year. Worse, standard renovations save very little energy, just 9% in homes and 16% in commercial buildings. Itâs the deep renovations that cut energy by 60% or more, but thatâs only happening to under 0.3% of the stock. Louise Sunderland at RAP … [Read more...]
Carbon Border Adjustments: can the EU create a mechanism that is fair?
The proposed EU carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) is meant to control imports of high-carbon goods from places that are not bound by Europeâs rising de-carbonisation rules. The obvious targets are commodities like steel, aluminium and cement. But it could be extended to all EU imports, including agricultural products. Michel Colombier at IDDRI warns that the EU is in danger of not listening nearly enough to its trading partners. He … [Read more...]
SMEs key to Europeâs decarbonisation efforts
The Horizon 2020 funded project, LEAP4SME â Energy audit policies to drive energy efficiency â aims to enhance effective policies for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to undergo energy audits and implement cost-effective, recommended energy-saving measures. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), SMEs account for at least 13% of global final energy consumption annually and energy efficiency improvements are to … [Read more...]
EU Taxonomy: Gas as a transition fuel needs Green Deal support too
PGE Group is Poland's largest energy company. Its transformation plan targets a 50% share from renewable generation and an 85% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2030. By 2050 it intends to have net zero CO2 emissions and provide 100% green energy to its customers. As with all nations around the world, and certainly in the EU, successful transitions depend on capital flows to the right sectors, signposted by policies and support. What does and does … [Read more...]
A marketplace for energy data will enable Europeâs grid expansion
The growth of the decentralisation of energy generation and storage combined with the digitalisation of the metrics of supply and demand is pointing towards a marketplace for energy data, explain Veronika SpurnĂĄ and Helena Uhde at the EU-China Energy Cooperation Platform. Such a marketplace will monetise the data itself, in recognition of its vital role in enabling the intelligent distribution of energy and investment. There will also be a place … [Read more...]
Germanyâs Renewable Energy Act 2021: how to implement the fine policy detail of emissions reduction targets
After much haggling and debate, Germanyâs Renewable Energy Act (EEG) 2021 was finally approved in December and came into force on 1 January 2021. Sila Akat and Simon Göss at Energy Brainpool outline the most important changes imposed by the amendment. It gives an insight into how a nation is dealing with the finer details of increasingly ambitious emissions reduction targets. The authors cover the main issues and outcomes. How Germany is dealing … [Read more...]
Wide variations in National Energy and Climate Plans: how can the EU seriously budget for emissions reductions?
The EU has big and growing ambitions for emissions reductions by 2030: down 40% below 1990 levels, increasing the share of renewables to 32% of final energy consumption and improving energy efficiency by 32.5% above business-as-usual. These targets will be further revised as the more ambitious goal of cutting emissions by 55% by 2030 becomes legally binding. This means the EU as well as individual nations must estimate the cost of meeting these … [Read more...]
How to create four major regional Gas hubs in Russia
Kamil Sobczak at the Russian Gas Society has co-authored a report, âOpportunities and prospects for the development of gas hubs in Russiaâ, which he summarises here. It scopes out what is needed to create four major gas hubs in the Far East, North West, Central and Southern Russia. The plan will help develop and modernise Russiaâs gas sector as well as increase exports. Transparency in prices and transaction volumes will be essential to create … [Read more...]
Policy-makers still undervalue Energy Efficiency as a grid resource
Supply-side solutions to grid stability are few in number, and expensive. More baseload generation, electricity networks, capacity markets that pay power plants all year round to be available for dispatch during a few peak hours. Demand-side solutions are usually smaller, and multitudinous: building fabric improvements, equipment upgrades, customer behaviour interventions, and more. So, for grid stability, the principle of âEfficiency Firstâ - … [Read more...]
Clean Trucks are coming: a review of battery, hydrogen, synthetic fuels and more
New EU fuel efficiency rules are forcing truck makers into a race to get their low emission vehicles onto the roads. From 2025, newly registered trucks must have 15% lower emissions, and from 2030 itâs 30%. Battery-electric drivetrains are most likely to dominate, assisted in their evolution by the assured progress and charging infrastructure of EVs. Hydrogen fuel cells and synthetic fuels are also in the game, though hindered by the inevitable … [Read more...]
The Energy Charter Treaty makes the transition easier. Donât scrap it, reform it
Energy and climate experts as well as national and EU parliamentarians are lining up to press their governments to withdraw from the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) if insufficient progress is made in its modernisation. Their main argument is that it gives protection to fossil investments in a world where policies are changing in order to constrain or phase them out. Here, Frank Umbach at EUCERS sternly warns against abandoning the ECT. The treaty … [Read more...]
New net-zero pledges from China, US, EU and others can meet our climate goals, says UNEP. ButâŠ
Existing national commitments imply that todayâs emissions will simply plateau, remaining only slightly below 2019 levels by 2030. However, according to the latest UN Environment Programme (UNEP) emissions gap report, the new commitments from China, the EU, Japan, South Korea, the UK, Joe Bidenâs US and others are âbroadly consistentâ with the Paris Agreementâs 1.5C goal for 2050. But commitments arenât policy, warns UNEP, and only real change … [Read more...]
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