Energy transition
EU official: ‘Renewables could supply almost 80% of heating and cooling by 2050’
Reaching the EU's target of increasing renewable heating and cooling by 1.3% each year will require a diverse array of solutions, says the European Commission's Hans van Steen.
Price of energy saving certificates causes friction in France
Energy saving certificates, or white certificates, were meant to be the answer to France’s slow progress in reducing energy consumption. However, there is far more demand than supply, resulting in a surge in prices of certificates, which have more than doubled in a year. EURACTIV France reports.
Three things to know as Germany opens massive ocean wind park
German Chancellor Angela Merkel will be joined by French and Norwegian ministers Tuesday (16 April) to officially open a massive wind farm in the Baltic Sea, a key project for her country's "energy transition".
UK breaks coal-free power generation record by huge margin
Coal has historically been at the cornerstone of the UK's electricity mix, but the first three months of 2019 saw the electricity grid clock up 650 hours of coal-free generation – more than was achieved during the entirety of 2017. EURACTIV's media partner edie.net reports.
Claude Turmes: ‘We won the Energy Transition Fund’
The Energy Transition Fund called for by the European Parliament is more than just a pot of money to support coal-dependent regions, says Claude Turmes, Luxembourg’s minister for energy and spatial planning.
Exxon lobbyists allowed to keep EU access badges
The heads of political groups in the European Parliament have failed to reach a decision on whether to strip ExxonMobil lobbyists from their EU access badges, leaving some activists bitterly disappointed and others reflecting about future engagement with the oil and gas industry.
Clean energy transition ‘is a social policy issue’, Poles insist
The social policy dimension was largely overlooked when the European Union decided energy and climate change objectives for 2030, Poles have warned, calling on policymakers to endorse a “just transition fund” to support the country's coal phase-out.
Energy Union ‘completed’, as Commission’s final stocktake debuts
EU officials are satisfied with how the bloc’s internal energy market has taken shape over the last five years, but will acknowledge in a final stocktake due later on Tuesday (9 April) that energy efficiency and renewables targets still need work.
‘Historic breakthrough’: Norway’s giant oil fund dives into renewables
Norway’s $1tn oil fund, the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund, is to plunge billions of dollars into wind and solar power projects. The decision follows Saudi Arabia’s oil fund selling off its last oil and gas assets. EURACTIV's media partner, The Guardian, reports.
‘No future’ for fossil gas in Europe, Greens insist
Natural gas of fossil origin has “no future” in Europe, Greens have warned as EU energy ministers prepared to sign a declaration on Tuesday (2 April) promoting “smart gas infrastructure” as part of a low-carbon energy mix for 2050.
Nuclear power excluded from EU’s green investment label
The European Parliament voted on a proposed classification for sustainable assets on Thursday (28 March), voting to exclude nuclear power from receiving a green stamp of approval on financial markets.
Feeling the heat: Why EU climate targets depend on ditching fossil fuel boilers
The European Union has set a target of increasing renewables in heating and cooling by 1.3% every year starting in 2021. Given the pervasiveness of gas heat, it may be a struggle.
Big oil’s ‘double speak’ on climate exposed in new report
The world’s five largest listed oil and gas companies have spent more than $1 billion touting their climate credentials since the Paris Agreement was signed, whilst lobbying to protect and expand their fossil fuel operations, according to new analysis published on Friday (22 March).
Europe ringfences 35% of research budget for clean tech
European Union negotiators struck an agreement late on Tuesday (19 March) to set aside 35% of the bloc’s research funding for climate-friendly technologies, despite ongoing doubts about the overall size of the EU's future budget after Brexit.
Study charts six scenarios for fossil-free energy by 2050
Cutting energy use in buildings, ramping up renewable electricity and developing large-scale storage with hydrogen are clear options in bringing energy emissions down to zero by 2050, according to a new study published on Thursday (14 March).
EU under pressure to pull the plug on Greek coal aid
Campaigners have urged the European Commission to reject a proposed aid scheme for the Greek power sector, saying the draft plan will allow “backdoor subsidies” for a new coal-fired power plant in Greece, in violation of the EU’s recently-updated electricity market rules.
Think tank calls for new EU administrative bodies to accelerate energy transition
The EU should establish two new administrative bodies to speed up energy transition, one in the Parliament and one in the Commission, influential Berlin-based think tank Agora Energiewende said on Thursday (7 March) while presenting its ten priority measures for the EU institutions.
EU bets on innovation to secure energy transition
Breakthrough climate-change-busting technologies are set to benefit from €10 billion in EU funding over the next decade, as the European Commission confirmed its punt on a major new innovation fund.
Five EU countries call for 100% renewable energy by 2050
EU energy ministers had their first public debate on the European Commission’s 2050 climate plan on Monday (4 March) but five member states derided the lack of a 100% renewable energy scenario among the EU executive’s proposed options.
EU dragged to court for backing forest biomass as ‘renewable energy’
A group of plaintiffs from Estonia, France, Ireland, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden, and the US are filing a lawsuit against the European Union on Monday (4 March) to challenge the inclusion of forest biomass in the bloc’s renewable energy directive.
Google uses AI technology to boost wind energy efficiency
Google has boosted the value of the wind energy it produces by 20% after installing its own artificial intelligence (AI) software across its largest renewable energy facilities in the US. EURACTIV's media partner edie.net reports.
German industry eyes massive imports of ‘solar fuels’ from Australia
Huge amounts of synthetic fuels generated from renewable energies will be required to fully decarbonise the German economy, according to industry association BDI, which eyes yearly imports of 340 terawatt hours (TW/h) by 2050 – the equivalent of Germany’s entire power fleet.
EU wary about one-size-fits-all target for ‘clean gas’
Setting a target for low-carbon gases such as hydrogen or biomethane is going to be tricky even though the idea is supported by industry, a senior EU official has said, warning against a one-size-fits-all approach.