Heating and cooling
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.
Fawkes: Let’s move energy efficiency away from the subsidised world
There are lots of investors and lenders now who want to deploy capital into energy efficiency. But the lack of standardisation, which causes uncertainty, is a barrier, Steven Fawkes told EURACTIV Czech Republic in an exclusive interview.
Julian Popov: The future of gas in Europe is uncertain
Gas demand in Europe will most likely continue to decline. This is the reason why the competition for additional gas import infrastructure is so fierce and politicised - there is simply no need for more, Julian Popov told EURACTIV.com in an exclusive interview.
Vraneš: Cutting aviation emissions starts on the ground
SPECIAL REPORT / While airlines are under the gun to cut their greenhouse gas emissions, a new EU-financed study by researchers from Germany, Ireland, Italy and Serbia suggests that airports waste significant amounts of energy. By taking relatively inexpensive steps, airports could save money, cut energy consumption - and reduce emissions.
Renewable island director: We need the opposite of Energy Union
Decentralisation is the key to energy success and development, Søren Hermansen said in an exclusive interview with EURACTIV. Instead of focusing on Putin's gas, the EU should create its own independent energy grid, including the national feed-in tariffs the Energy Union project opposes, he said.
MEP: Ukraine is a heating crisis, not a gas crisis
Member states must cooperate with each other and submit to a European Commission-run governance structure, complete with punitive measures, if the EU is to become independent from Russian gas, argues Morten Helveg Petersen, who also stressed the importance of renewables and energy efficiency.
Cogeneration chief: Energy efficiency bill is ‘a missed opportunity’
The EU's Energy Efficiency Directive, which has entered its final stages of negotiation, has missed the opportunity to give the cogeneration industry the incentives it needs to attract investors, according to Fiona Riddoch, managing director at COGEN Europe.
Investor: Czech experience could be valuable in Ukraine
The experience of the Czech Republic in the field of energy efficiency could be used in Ukraine on a wider scale, Ira Saul Rubenstein, a financier in alternative energy and clean technology based in the Czech Republic, told EURACTIV in an interview.