Energy transition
Metals: Friend or foe of the green economy?
The green economy usually brings to mind traditional renewable materials such as wood, biomass, water and earth. Less likely poster children are the big metals that have formed the backbone of the industrial revolution – steel, copper, iron, tin and aluminium.
Parliament rubber-stamps Europe’s 2030 clean energy laws
The European Parliament voted on Tuesday (13 November) a set of three clean energy laws for 2030, including binding targets for renewable energies, an indicative objective on energy savings and a separate text on the governance of the Energy Union.
Spain targets 100% renewable power by 2050
Spain’s government has published a new climate plan that targets a 100% renewable energy electricity system by 2050, with goals that outstrip those adopted by the EU and a ban on new gas and oil exploration.
European oil majors better prepared for energy transition than US, Chinese counterparts
Oil majors are “lagging” when it comes to preparing for the low-carbon energy transition, according to a new report from financial watchdog CDP, which nonetheless praised BP, Eni, Equinor, Total, Repsol and Shell for taking the industry’s lead.
Row threatens to delay end to energy isolation of Crete, Cyprus
A long-awaited EU project that could put an end to the energy isolation of Cyprus and the Greek island of Crete is under threat due to a dispute between the parties involved. But the European Commission does not want to “point fingers” at anybody.
UK’s renewables attractiveness drops amid no-deal Brexit fears
The UK has fallen in a ranking of the world's most attractive renewable energy markets for investors, with apprehensions around Brexit cited as a major reason for a year-on-year drop in investment. EURACTIV's media partner edie.net reports.
Swiss researchers chart path to zero-emission cement
The construction sector can cut polluting emissions up to 80% by applying efficiency measures along the whole value chain, according to new research. If combined with carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology, emissions could even be brought down to zero by 2050, they argue.
Post-mortem: Auditors analyse EU’s failed carbon capture projects
EU-funded efforts to boost the uptake of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies have failed largely because of a lack of coordination and long-term strategies that scared away investors, according to a report by the European Court of Auditors.
US threatens to capsize marine emissions cap
The United States is pushing for a late change to the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) landmark cap on sulphur emissions, throwing into doubt the 2020 implementation date.
Belgian reactors shutdown a test run for nuclear-free future
Belgium’s energy production is plunging as its nuclear reactors are taken offline for repairs, with the power shortfall this winter seen as a test of the country’s ability to cope when the reactors are phased out from 2022.
Three years ago, I was branded as an eco-terrorist, Polish Green local candidate says
Poles vote in local elections on Sunday (21 October), seen as a key test for the country’s nationalist governing party. Until very recently, energy transition was a political no-go in the coal-dependent country but the situation is evolving, a climate activist and Green local politician in the COP24 host city of Katowice told EURACTIV.com.
‘Bad news’ and ‘despair’: Global carbon emissions to hit new record in 2018, IEA says
Global carbon emissions will rise to a new record level in 2018, making the chances of reaching a target to keep temperature increases to 1.5 or 2°C "weaker and weaker every year, every month," the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA) has said.
135 French MPs lobby hard for the ecological transition
A parliamentary group, bringing together 135 French MPs from across the political spectrum, wants to collectively carry the issues of the ecological transition, particularly during the debate on the 2019 finance bill. EURACTIV France’s media partner the Journal de l’environnement reports.
Bill Gates launches EU clean energy ‘breakthrough’ fund in Brussels
The newly-established €100 million fund will help innovative European companies bring “radically new” clean energy technologies to the market, including the “holy grail” of batteries, the European Commission said.
Norway’s latest CCS revival attempt meets lukewarm EU response
The European Commission has given only cautious backing to a project led by Norway that would see carbon dioxide emissions captured at source from industrial installations and shipped offshore to depleting oil and gas fields where they would be buried more than 1,000 metres underground.
Dutch climate change ambition is insufficient, court confirms
A Dutch appeals court on Tuesday (9 October) instructed the government to cut greenhouse gas emissions at a faster rate than planned, meaning they will have to be 25% below 1990 levels by the end of this decade.
‘Most important years in history’: Major UN report sounds last-minute climate alarm
Warming beyond 1.5C will unleash a frightening set of consequences and only a global transformation, beginning now, will avoid it, according to the latest report from scientists at the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). EURACTIV's media partner Climate Home News reports.
Transparency, a central bone of contention in EU power market overhaul
Whether it relates to electricity prices charged to customers, the calculation of grid availability across borders, or the EU’s law-making process itself, the quest for transparency has emerged as a cross-cutting theme in Europe’s ongoing power market reform.
Destination COP24: Take us to your climate leader
Europe has been one of the driving forces behind the quest to make the Paris Agreement on climate change a reality. But how serious is the EU about the landmark deal and what is Brussels doing in its own backyard to keep global temperature increase ‘well below 2 degrees Celsius’?
Energy efficiency: ‘Tough legislation means tough enforcement’
New EU rules on buildings and energy efficiency standards, adopted earlier this year, are “tough but fair” and will need to be implemented and enforced correctly, according to the architects of the legislation.
Net zero emissions feasible by 2050 if EU economy goes cross-sectoral, new report says
With the European Commission expected to present its mid-century climate plan in November, a report released on Thursday (27 September) shows net zero emissions can only be achieved by 2050 if member states develop more innovative, cross-sectoral, and 'beyond business-as-usual' scenarios.
Spain drops opposition to EU limits on coal power
The Spanish government has begun winding down state aid for coal power, saying it now sides with a European Commission plan to prohibit so-called capacity payments for plants emitting more than 550g of carbon dioxide per kilowatt hour.
Italy withdraws objections to EU power market reform
Davide Crippa, Italy’s Undersecretary for Economic Development, has announced the country’s withdrawal from a seven-country alliance led by Poland, which argued for preserving national sovereignty over decisions to finance emergency power plants.
