Energy liberalisation
High electricity prices, renewables and windfall profits – all paid for by EU citizens
The ongoing electricity price hike fuelled by the gas crisis makes a reform of EU power market rules more urgent than ever, argue Mike Parr and Simon Minett.
Europe needs a strategy for seasonal energy balancing
As the role of gas in the energy system evolves, the approach to meeting winter peak demand must also keep up, writes Nikos Tsafos. More fundamentally, someone needs to be responsible for supply security, he argues.
Hydrogen transport costs will vary on a case-by-case basis, industry says
While natural gas pipelines can be used to carry hydrogen, the cost of retrofitting infrastructure combined with end-user requirements at the local level, will determine whether blended or pure hydrogen is delivered to the final consumer, industry experts say.
Europe’s new climate plan heralds energy ‘transformation’
Meeting the EU’s proposed new climate targets for 2030 will require a “transformation” of the bloc’s energy system, with a renewed focus on renewables and further efforts to cut fossil fuels in buildings, transport and industry, the European Commission has said.
Policy brief: Energy system integration
“Sector coupling” is the new energy buzzword in town. In essence, it means bringing different energy carriers, infrastructure and consumption sectors closer together in search of more renewables, greater efficiency, and lower carbon emissions. With its European Green Deal, tabled...
Heating electrification amplifies need for efficient buildings, experts say
Electrification is key to decarbonising the residential heating sector, but it needs to be done smartly, by using heat pumps flexibly in houses that are efficient enough to act as “thermal batteries,” experts argue.
Power grid operators launch blockchain for home and car batteries
European electricity grid operators TenneT, Swissgrid and Terna have launched a cross-border blockchain platform, saying it will help stabilise the grid while allowing households to earn “a few hundred euros per year” from their home and car batteries.
As wind and solar power rise, EU seeks more grid ‘flexibility’
An integrated electricity market, with more grid interconnections and storage solutions “of all types” are at the centre of EU plans to build a more resilient electricity system able to deal with growing shares of variable wind and solar power.
EU must block Greece’s desperate attempt to subsidise coal power
Greek consumers could end up footing the bill for new coal plants well beyond 2050 under a proposed government scheme, despite recently agreed EU electricity market rules specifically designed to call time on coal subsidies, write Joanna Flisowska and Nikos Mantzaris.
Researcher: Lowering electricity taxes is cheapest way of meeting EU climate goals
The energy transition will hit the poor hardest unless it's balanced by a shift in taxation, says Christian Egenhofer. The EU needs to acknowledge this and get started by lowering taxes on electricity to achieve the EU’s carbon reduction goals at least cost, he argues.
Exploring the limits of EU’s unbelievable behaviour on Nord Stream 2
In April, the Russian-owned Nord Stream 2 company initiated legal proceedings agains the EU under the Energy Charter Treaty. If an amicable solution cannot be found, the case will set an important precedent for EU energy policy, write Kim Talus and Leigh Hancher.
Gas storage vies for central role in EU quest for carbon neutrality
European gas storage sites have much to offer in the energy transition, providing a readily available platform to carry new low-carbon gases like hydrogen. What’s not clear yet is whether those gases can be produced in sufficient quantity to significantly cut carbon emissions.
Walking the walk on capacity mechanisms
The European Commission’s review of Britain’s capacity market for electricity will reveal whether the EU executive really believes the recast regulation on the internal electricity market is ever likely to be fully enforced, write Philip Baker and Michael Hogan.
Italy squeals on German gas tariff reform, EU ready to step in
The Italian gas authority has voiced alarm at a planned rise in transmission tariffs for gas coming from Germany, saying the reform will cost €300 million to Italian taxpayers. The EU said it stands ready to intervene.
Stopping the demise of Europe’s aluminium industry
The European Commission needs to tackle the abusive market practices of aluminium producing countries like China that rely on state aid and environmental dumping to erode the market share of European companies, writes Mario Conserva.
The burden of coal at the doorstep of the Energy Union
At a time when the EU strives to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, coal still represents more than half of electricity across much of the Western Balkans and other EU neighbouring countries, writes Janez Kopač. Making things worse, coal plants are intensively supported by Chinese and US capital, without active opposition of the EU, he says.
Gas industry boss: ‘We have to make gas greener’
The European gas industry is on the cusp of a green revolution similar to the one that took place in the electricity sector, with a greater variety of low-carbon gases feeding into the grid at the local level, says Jean-Marc...
Eurelectric boss: ‘The gas system has to be more focused on what makes it really unique’
As the European Union turns the page on a series of clean energy laws focused on electricity, attention is now turning to decarbonisation in the gas sector, with an upcoming gas package expected in 2020. And the power sector intends to play a central role there too.
Energy consumption continues to rise in Europe: Eurostat
Energy consumption in Europe rose for the third consecutive year in 2017, pulling the EU further away from its 2020 energy efficiency objective, according to official figures published on Thursday (7 February).
No-deal Brexit to leave UK without green watchdog for two years: report
A no deal departure from the EU in March would leave Britain without oversight of key energy and environment problems until at least 2021, a think-tank warned on Thursday (31 January). EURACTIV's media partner, Climate Home News, reports.
Big fat Greek lignite sale burns EU climate policies
While other EU countries, such as Germany, announce plans for coal phase-out within the next 20 years in compliance with their Paris Agreement commitments, Greece’s future appears locked in carbon for decades to come, write Demetres Karavellas and Nikos Charalambides.
EY consultant: Europe is lagging behind in power grid digitalisation
The volume of solar panels and electric cars connected to the grid is still manageable for now. But massive new load expected from electric vehicles in the coming years will require stepping up network digitalisation, warns Serge Colle.
Smart meter woes hold back digitalisation of EU power sector
Electric cars and rooftop solar panels are expected to hit mass markets in the coming years, all requiring smart meters installed in people’s homes. But EU countries are slow at deploying them, and industry voices are now calling on EU regulators to step in.