Section: Energy

Climate & Environment 18-11-2016

What local and regional government leaders at COP22 can teach the world

As COP22 begins to draw to a close, Gino Van Begin calls on all involved parties to roll up their sleeves and start implementing climate action immediately.

Sustainable Dev. 17-11-2016

An intelligent approach to intelligent buildings

What are intelligent buildings, why are they important and how can we realise their full potential? Christiane Egger takes a closer look at the growing market for intelligent buildings.

Promoted

Energy 16-11-2016

Respiratory illnesses and their cost to European governments

Inadequate housing is a major contributor to respiratory illnesses. That is why the VELUX Group is calling for increased political focus on renovation aimed at healthier homes.

Energy 10-11-2016

Beyond ‘toastergate’: Using small things to go big – the smart way

This European Commission famously promised to focus on the big policy picture and avoid petty regulations. But small things can grow into something big, for example on energy efficiency and eco-design rules for electric appliances, writes Ingrid Holmes.

Climate & Environment 10-11-2016

Time for an EU climate policy 2.0?

The European Commission will soon release its second annual report on the State of the European Energy Union. This is a pivotal moment in the EU's political calendar, write Teresa Ribera and Thomas Spencer.

Energy 08-11-2016

Commission opens door to further Gazprom blackmail

A recent decision of the European Commission puts the whole European diversification and energy security strategy in jeopardy, and Poland and Ukraine may take legal action against the EU executive, writes Jacek Saryusz-Wolski.

Science & Policymaking 07-11-2016

Auditors' report on biofuels calls for return to common sense

Will the report of the EU Court of Auditors (ECA) regarding the EU system for the certification of sustainable biofuels spark an outbreak of common sense within the Commission, asks Dick Roche.

Energy 07-11-2016

Carbon footprint of solar panels under microscope

As the COP22 opens this week in Marrakesh, recent news about solar power has been positive, with record-breaking tariffs reflecting the fast-declining price of solar electricity. But even solar plants can come with a heavy environmental footprint, writes Andreas Wade.

Energy 04-11-2016

The (German) politics behind Nord Stream 2

An unlikely coalition is emerging in Germany between Angela Merkel’s CDU and the Greens. More and more, both parties want to stop the construction of a second pipeline that will transport gas directly from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea, explains Judy Dempsey.

Energy 02-11-2016

How Putin is losing his grip on pipeline politics

Growing global LNG trade and the expansion of gas-transport infrastructure have transformed the markets, and Russia will bear the brunt of this change, writes Agnia Grigas.

Agriculture & Food 31-10-2016

Commission proposals on biofuels will damage Romania’s interests

The change of EU policy on biofuels will undermine Romania’s potential to become one of Europe’s most important sources of clean renewable fuel, writes Laurențiu Rebega.

Climate & Environment 31-10-2016

Carbon Capture and Storage - EU climate policy's gaping hole

Carbon Capture and Storage has suffered numerous setbacks in Europe, but its deployment is essential to keeping CO2 levels within manageable levels and to the attainment of the Paris climate goals, warns Chris Davies.

Climate & Environment 31-10-2016

COP21 goals: An alternative path to success

Managing carbon emissions by imposing a refundable excise duty on the extraction of fossil fuels rather than on their emissions is an alternative and much more advantageous solution to reaching the objectives of the COP21 Agreement, argue Jacques de Gerlache and Romain Ferrari.

Energy 26-10-2016

Is Appliance-gate on the horizon?

Ahead of the annual review of Ecodesign and Labelling measures by the college of Commissioners, the executive was asked by political leaders and NGOs to unfreeze the Ecodesign and Labelling process, stalled for over a year, and to expand the scope of regulated products, Dr Yamina Saheb analyses the issue.

Climate & Environment 20-10-2016

Fighting climate change needs multi-dimensional capacity building

Capacity building is a concept that emerged in international development circles during the 1990s, in order to address the obstacles that inhibit people, governments and NGOs from realising their development goals, writes Dr Mike Cherrett.

Energy 19-10-2016

The EU’s dangerous biomass delusion

Bioenergy advocates claim that Europe’s forests are well managed and don’t contribute to global warming. Yet, biomass production in Europe is projected to rely more and more on materials that have a high risk of increasing greenhouse gas emissions, writes Linde Zuidema.

Energy 18-10-2016

Including Greece in ETS compensation mechanisms

Following the Paris Agreement, the discussion on the next phase of the EU ETS, 2021-2030, has intensified. Greece is strongly arguing for its inclusion in the provisions of articles 10c and 10d, write energy analysts from Greece’s Public Power Corporation S.A. (PPC).

Sustainable Dev. 18-10-2016

'Share the knowledge' at UN's Quito summit on cities - or wait until 2036

Some 90% of urban growth over the next 30 years will happen in developing countries. If we squander the chance to set them on the path to sustainability now, it may be lost for ever, write Eva Dic and Maria-Theres Haase.

Energy 29-09-2016

Time to get holistic on energy

The EU needs to stop treating all energy sources as if they were equally desirable when it comes to energy savings. This approach undermines the promotion of renewables, with negative effects for the EU’s energy independence, writes Anders Stouge.

Climate & Environment 28-09-2016

Energy and climate change all-important to new EU

As the debate over priorities for EU reform post-Brexit ramps up, misguided attempts to avoid political tensions are undermining popular and necessary action on energy and climate change, writes Nick Mabey.

Sustainable Dev. 19-09-2016

EU and New Zealand: Partnership powers in the Pacific

Small developing states in the Pacific have traditionally relied on imports of fossil fuels. The cost of the fuel, combined with its price volatility, and the islands' geographic remoteness, are all significant strains on these small economies, write Andrew Jacobs and Michalis Rokas.

Transport 12-09-2016

EU’s fanciful transport decarbonisation strategy

Europe seeks to stop the increase in transport GHG emissions with the wrong policies, writes Zoltán Szabó.

Global Europe 12-09-2016

The omissions of the EU’s new Arctic policy

Nations both close and distant to the Arctic Circle are increasingly becoming engaged in the North, as the European Union’s new policy for the Arctic shows. The plan is a step forward, but it speaks volumes by what it leaves out, writes Antonia Sohns.

Energy 08-09-2016

A call for more ambitious 2030 energy efficiency targets

A report from the European Commission’s own research centre triggers an interesting debate by showing that the EU is well on track to reach its headline 2020 energy efficiency target. The 2030 target should be more ambitious as a result, writes Marion Santini.