Heating and cooling
Industry chief: District heating sector looking at ‘other options’ than gas
Russia’s aggression in Ukraine is prompting the district heating sector to look at other options than fossil gas, with the industry’s representative in Brussels underlining the huge untapped potential of waste heat coming from industry and data centres among the immediately available options.
Economist: Carbon trading is ‘a right first step’ to decarbonise buildings
Moving parts of the building sector under a separate carbon trading scheme, like the European Commission has proposed, “is a right first step” to address the complexity of the heating sector, which is spread across millions of buildings, diverging climates...
Finnish official: ‘Heating is far from being just a local issue’
Achieving climate neutrality by 2050 requires decarbonising the whole economy, including the energy-hungry heating sector, says Finland's Riku Huttunen. And that will involve cooperation at all levels of government, including local and EU authorities, he argues.
Solar CEO: ‘Heating electrification is one of the biggest mistakes of the energy transition’
Wind and solar photovoltaic are way too small to cope with Europe's massive demand for heating, especially in winter, says Christian Holter who calls for allocating scarce renewable energy resources to economic sectors where they can bring the most in terms of carbon reduction.
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.
IRENA chief: Renewable energy is ‘defence policy of the future’
Renewable energy will rewrite the geopolitical map, according to the man tasked with taking clean energy global. Adnan Z. Amin also told EURACTIV that any politicians not worried by the “truly frightening” risks of climate change are not in the right job.
Academic: Oil and gas boilers should be banned across Europe by 2030
Emissions from residential heating can be drastically reduced if Europe agrees a ban on new oil and gas boiler installations by 2030 at the latest, according to a Danish researcher who led an EU-wide study to decarbonise the heating and cooling sector.
Utilities see opportunity in EU’s 2050 climate strategy
Vienna’s energy and infrastructure utilities say the Commission’s long-term strategy unveiled this week is in line with own their forecasts and goals.
Mayor of Ghent: Climate targets ‘almost impossible’ to meet without cities and regions
As the European Commission gets ready to come up with a climate strategy for 2050 and ongoing energy talks approach the finish line, Mayor of Ghent Daniël Termont told EURACTIV that cities and regions should not be relegated to a mere consultation role in this crucial planning phase.
IEA analyst: A heating and cooling target ‘could make a big difference’
As talks on the EU’s renewable energy rules resume, one of the main talking points is how to decarbonise the heating sector, and deploy technologies like heat pumps and district heating. The International Energy Agency’s Ute Collier told EURACTIV in an interview that the task is complex and difficult.
Polish mayor: ‘The future belongs to cities’
The city of Wrocław is one of Poland’s success stories, where job creation has hit record highs and environmental objectives are taken seriously. Wrocław’s long-serving mayor revealed his city’s future-leaning path and the advantages of being part of a Europe-wide network of mayors.
Energy poverty chairman: Extreme summer heat could provide wake-up call
Two out of three EU countries do not measure energy poverty but a new observatory launched on Monday (29 January) should provide member states with the information they need to address a problem that could affect more than 100 million people in Europe, says the chair of the EU's Energy Poverty Observatory.
Think tank: Coal crisis, not climate policy, is forcing Polish energy overhaul
The unfolding crisis in the coal sector is leaving Poland with a looming power generation gap which is forcing decision-makers to reconsider the country’s energy mix. But politicians have until now delayed hard decisions and a transparent debate about it, says Joanna Maćkowiak Pandera.
Oslo Mayor: Here’s how we plan to become a carbon neutral city
The city of Oslo surprised observers last year by announcing plans to introduce a “carbon budget” with the objective of halving its global warming emissions by 2020 and becoming carbon neutral by 2030. The city’s Mayor, Raymond Johansen, told EURACTIV.com how he intends to achieve this ambitious objective.
Stockholm mayor: ‘Fuel poverty is non-existent in Nordic countries’
Nordic countries have relegated fuel poverty to the history books by setting legal minimum standards for heating and giving house-owners a strong incentive to invest in refurbishment, says the mayor of the Swedish capital.
Think tank: Lack of EU heating and cooling laws a ‘real failure’
The lack of hard EU legislation for the decarbonisation of Europe’s heating and cooling systems is a failure that puts the bloc’s climate goals at risk, Maarten De Groote, the head of research at the Buildings Performance Institute Europe, has warned.
MEPs: Building renovation ‘isn’t sexy but it’s bloody important!’
Renovating Europe's building stock isn't just critical for meeting EU climate and energy savings targets – it will dramatically improve living conditions and health while boosting the overall economy, according to the three MEPs leading the European Parliament's work on the Energy performance of buildings directive.
Pension fund: EU should promote ‘one-stop shop’ for housing renovation
Homeowners typically don’t have the capital to invest in energy renovation solutions, despite the proven returns. Danish pension fund PKA helps bridge that gap with a one-stop-shop solution which, it believes, could be replicated across Europe.
Vattenfall CEO: Decarbonising electricity can boost its use for transport, heating and cooling
Europe should accelerate the decarbonisation of electricity in order to encourage its use for transportation and other sectors. The end game is a fossil free system where we could use a lot more green electricity, Vattenfall CEO Magnus Hall told EURACTIV.com.
Norwegian waste expert: Germany should lead, not slow down progress
The proposed 2030 waste targets are ambitious, but achievable, EURACTIV Slovakia learned from Henrik Lystad, deputy director of the Norwegian Association of Waste Management and chair of the European Compost Network.
Analyst: ‘Member states can strong-arm Brussels on energy policy’
From nuclear plants in the UK and Hungary to coal-fired power stations in Germany, member states always manage to forge ahead with their energy projects, according to Georg Zachmann, who calls on EU leaders to sit down and seriously discuss the Energy Union’s governance.
Eurelectric boss: ‘Orchestrated’ power markets must end
If European Union leaders don’t believe markets can work, then there’s no point having a carbon price to encourage renewable energies. And the energy market will always be “orchestrated” by national governments keeping fossil fuels subsidised, says Hans Ten Berge.