Energy
EU negotiators agree ‘dynamic pricing’ of electricity
Energy companies with more than 200,000 clients will be obliged to provide households with at least one offer comprising dynamic price contracts, under an EU-level agreement reached behind closed doors last week, EURACTIV.com has learned.
Time to deliver: Putting building renovation into practice
Addressing energy poverty and developing new financial tools to boost energy savings are two things governments could do in practice to go beyond the targets outlined in the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) and start renovating the European building stock for real.
Renewable gas can be scaled up and reduce costs in decarbonising the EU energy system
As the debate on the future role of gas in a decarbonised European energy system heats up, Navigant energy experts Daan Peters and Kees van der Leun explain why they see a large potential to scale up renewable gas sustainably.
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.
Gas chief: LNG can help cut air pollution, boost human health
Shipping is responsible for over 3% of global emissions with that number expected to grow. Owners and operators will have to decide how to clean up their vessels and liquefied natural gas (LNG) is a potential solution, Gas Infrastructure Europe's Wim Groenendijk told EURACTIV.OpinionPromoted content
The new champion of changes in the Polish power sector
The transition of the Polish power sector is speeding up despite the difficult regulatory and business environment, writes Filip Grzegorczyk, CEO of TAURON Polska Energia.
EU bioeconomy strategy and IPCC – planets apart
The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) indicates that biofuels will need to rise 260% by 2030 and 750% by 2050 in order to contain global warming below 1.5°C. Yet, the EU Bioeconomy Strategy, published days after, seems to ignore this, writes James Cogan.
Poland attacks EU’s Gazprom deal in court
Poland's state-run gas firm PGNiG said on Tuesday (16 October) it filed a complaint with the EU's top court against a controversial deal by the European Commission to settle an anti-trust case against Gazprom, the Kremlin-backed energy giant.
What follows from China tariffs and the Juncker-Trump LNG talks?
It is a bit surprising to see the Commission chief advocating additional imports in the EU of US LNG, a fossil fuel which produces a lot of greenhouse gas emissions, writes Danila Bochkarev.
REDay2018: key outputs from the conference
The amended Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) contains a vision for 2050 for the buildings stock in the EU – it will have to be highly energy efficient and decarbonised, reaching cost-effective nearly zero energy levels.OpinionPromoted content
PKEE launches special report ‘Electricity market reform: a European Tour’
A harmonised system for Capacity Mechanisms was proposed in the Clean Energy for All package as a means to allow governments manage security of supply concerns whilst energy systems transition to sustainable fuels and utilisation operations. The report highlights key recommendations for their effective design to aid current discussion on EU Electricity Market legislation.
An EU anti-smog fund for Poland
Poland has some of the worst air quality in the EU. But fighting smog is expensive. The Modernisation Fund set up as part of the Emissions Trading Scheme could help here, writes Joanna Maćkowiak-Pandera.
French MP: Building renovation needs to get everyone on board
To succeed in renovating the European building stock by 2050, all the governance levels need to be involved, from local to national, French MP Marjolaine Meynier-Millefert told EURACTIV, adding that people who cannot afford the costs of renovation must not be left behind.
Will the EU electricity market protect Europeans from disconnection?
The EU has recognised access to energy as a human right. But whether it will enforce a disconnection safeguard remains to be seen, writes Guillaume Derivaux.
Polish power sector’s contributions to the implementation of the Paris agreement
The Polish power sector is changing.
Energy efficient building renovation: The German and Flemish examples
“The Shift Project”, a non-governmental group, passes on solutions for environmental renovation that are implemented in some European countries. EURACTIV France’s media partner La Tribune reports.
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.
Please don’t let climate targets be (deliberately) misunderstood
The agreements on the various parts of the EU clean energy package were hard fought, but their signing marks the beginning of the battle to implement them, as much as it does the end of the struggle to agree them, argues Adrian Joyce.
Renovation of buildings: The fight is over, time to implement
The vision for decarbonising the European building stock is clear enough: now comes the time for the member states to enforce these commitments.
Norwegian activist: CCS is the only way to deal with CO2 from cement, steel
Industrial sectors such as cement and steelmaking will continue emitting CO2 even if they switch to 100% renewable energy, says Camilla Skriung who calls on the Norwegian government to take action now – without waiting for EU funding – in order to get the first projects off the ground.
The good, the bad and the ugly: The IPCC special report on global warming of 1.5°C
The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) shows keeping global warming below 1.5°C is necessary, feasible and beneficial. Rich countries must now commit to ensure their economies reach net zero emissions before 2050, writes Nick Mabey.