Energy
World’s first hydrogen train leaves station in Germany
The world’s first hydrogen-powered train service began operating in Germany on Sunday (16 September), while EU ministers debated the future potential of the clean fuel at an informal summit in Austria this week.OpinionPromoted content
Finalising the Clean Energy Package: priorities for the Austrian Presidency
Member states, the European Parliament and the European Commission have made remarkable progress on the Clean Energy Package to date – which Orgalime, representing the European technology industries, warmly welcomes, writes Malte Lohan.
From transport to street lighting: The emergence of smart city platforms
Uber and Airbnb have shown how city services can be transformed by platform offerings. Developing the right platforms will be key for cities to ensure that their economies, environment, and services are fit for the future, writes Eric Woods.
In the green transition all industries must pull together
As Europe’s energy ministers gather in Linz this week, they have the chance to widen and deepen the European Union’s ambitions for the green transition, writes MEP Jeppe Kofod.
PKEE: Polish capacity market is designed for low-carbon electricity
The capacity market in Poland has a so-called “green bonus”, which allows a two-year extension of the multiannual capacity contracts provided that a 450 kg CO2/MWh emission performance standard is met, says Maciej Burny.
Why France believes capacity mechanisms are necessary
Capacity mechanisms are crucial to secure the finances of power plants that ensure France's security of electricity supply. They are also essential to attract investments in new necessary capacity by providing visibility to the market thanks to a long-term price signal, writes Virginie Schwarz.
Mega infrastructure projects win over clean energy in Visegrad Four
In the Visegrad countries, decision makers prefer their historical favourites – coal and nuclear – to renewable sources and energy efficiency. As the Global Climate Action Summit resumes in San Francisco, it’s important to realise that corporate leadership can also shape the outlook for clean energy in Eastern Europe, writes Ada Ámon.
Drinking water rules cleaned up by MEPs
Members of the European Parliament’s environment committee voted on Monday (10 September) to update drinking water rules to remove pollutants from what comes out of our taps. But they have also been criticised for striking a blow against transparency.
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.
Greenpeace study throws light on Europe’s ‘hidden energy subsidies’
Figures compiled by the environmental pressure group Greenpeace highlight the lack of transparency about the amount of cash disbursed by national governments to support back-up power plants – mainly fossil fuels and nuclear.
Capacity mechanisms reform – key issues to watch
The European Commission wants to limit state aid for power plants that EU countries remunerate to remain on stand-by in case of demand peak. As negotiations on the EU’s new electricity market enter the home straight, EURACTIV lists the main issues to watch out for in the debate.
‘Scientifically right’: Juncker backs deeper carbon cuts in SOTEU speech
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker urged the European Union on Wednesday (12 September) to raise its goals for limiting climate change, but did not mention the forthcoming 2050 strategy. EURACTIV’s partner Climate Home News reports.
Capacity markets: How much ‘flexibility’ for EU countries?
Mostly out of pragmatism, the European Commission has adopted a rather tolerant approach to “capacity mechanisms” – national schemes that remunerate back-up power plants – accepting that EU countries face different challenges in the energy transition.
Judging Juncker: From first speech to last
Before Jean-Claude Juncker's final State of the Union address to this European Parliament on Wednesday (12 September), EURACTIV takes a look at his first speech from 2015 to see how the Commission president has done over the last three years.
Competitive European gas markets are a reality
From national silos to an integrated market, Europe’s gas network has come a long way writes Alex Barnes.
Academic: Fossil fuel back-ups ‘may be the price to pay’ for renewables
It’s a contradiction that policymakers are currently struggling to resolve. But fossil fuel back-up plants are probably necessary in the short term in order to give EU countries the confidence to bring in higher shares of renewable electricity, says Michael Pollitt.
French analyst: ‘Nord Stream 2 won’t be built as planned’
Ukraine should decrease its transit fees if it wants to undercut the business case for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline bringing Russian gas directly to Germany, says Thierry Bros.
France and Europe: Time to end complacency on climate leadership
As France changes environment minister, we must collectively admit that a very poor job has been done with Europe's Clean Energy Package, writes Yamina Saheb.
Capacity markets: A necessary evil in the energy transition?
Detractors of capacity mechanisms argue they are mere state aid for dirty fossil fuels that should be eliminated as soon as possible while supporters claim they provide vital back-up in the transition to renewable electricity. The fact that both are correct is leaving Europe in a quandary.
Capacity markets for electricity
As the EU’s power market reform enters the home straight, EURACTIV.com takes a look at so-called “capacity mechanisms” for back-up electricity and whether they help or hinder the EU’s twin objectives of supply security and decarbonisation.
Germany’s ‘strategic reserves’ for coal under fire in EU Council
A group of seven countries – comprising France, Poland, Italy, Hungary, Greece, Ireland and the UK – have issued a common position on the reform of Europe’s electricity market, saying “strategic reserves” for electricity should not receive favourable treatment from regulators.
The evolution and functioning of Europe’s natural gas market as a result of the Third Gas Directive
The liberalisation of European gas markets is widely recognised as a success by industry analysts. But EU politicians are sometimes reluctant to celebrate it because liberalisation on its own has failed to deliver on another key objective – supply diversification.
The inherent dangers of Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS)
As the European Commission considers its long-term strategy to cut EU greenhouse gas emissions, Julia Christian says they must reject an unproven and dangerous technology in favour of protecting and restoring natural forests.