About: electrification

LEAK: ‘Efficiency first’ is top priority of draft EU energy strategy

Efficiency must be at the core of Europe’s energy policy, the European Commission says in a draft policy document outlining its vision of a more agile, low-carbon energy system powered chiefly by renewable electricity.

UK jumps on hydrogen railwagon

The UK government will fund the development of hydrogen trains, with researchers zeroing in on the final stages of a project aimed at cleaning up isolated parts of the British railway network.

Green Deal – and electrification – should be the backbone of EU recovery plan

The Green Deal is Europe’s growth strategy. Making it the backbone of the recovery plan is not only necessary in a climate perspective, but also from an economic point of view – in order to create growth and work opportunities that are sustainable in the long run, argue Nordic energy CEOs and top executives.

Aerospace industry steps up greening efforts

With the European Commission under pressure to deliver on its green commitments and increase funding for research and development in the field, aerospace companies are slowly starting to recognise Europe as a trail blazer towards greening their sector.

COP25: Push for electric cars intensifies but cost question remains unanswered

A number of policymakers emphasised at the global climate conference COP25 in Madrid that electrification should play a leading role in road transport’s decarbonisation efforts. However, the affordability of transport electrification raises questions, as key stakeholders have not yet addressed...

Commission official: EU should re-examine renewable energy rules

The recently updated Renewable Energy Directive (RED II) has drawn much criticism and it would be good for the European Commission to look at it again, a high-ranking official in the EU executive has admitted.

Power and gas ‘coupling’ seen as key to EU’s zero-carbon quest

As Europe moves towards net-zero emissions, policymakers are looking at all available sources of energy, including new low-carbon gases like hydrogen, to decarbonise at least cost. But direct electrification – of transport, industry and buildings – remains the top priority for the European Commission.

‘No way around electrification,’ BMW says

Consumers are increasingly turning to electric vehicles – and they’re liking it, said BMW’s chief lobbyist in Europe, calling on policymakers to accelerate charging infrastructure deployment to support the roll-out of electric mobility on a mass scale.

Europe needs to double electricity share to meet climate goals – EU official

The European Green Deal to be unveiled in early 2020 will pursue a strategy of increasing the share of electricity in the EU’s energy mix, the new head of the European Commission’s energy department told a conference in Brussels Wednesday (6 November).

Higher shares of renewables for higher levels of electrification

A deep decarbonisation of the European economy is doable, but it will rely heavily on an increased uptake of electricity – even if the challenges are very different across the individual use sectors, writes Kristian Ruby.

Grid operators boss: ‘Time for energy utilities to re-invent their model’

Digital technologies like blockchain and artificial intelligence bring “total revolution” in the electricity industry, allowing energy communities to proliferate, says Laurent Schmitt. Utilities should not resist the change but embrace it to become “community enablers”, he told EURACTIV in an interview.

‘Near total’ renewable energy system within reach: Lord Adair Turner

Prices of green electricity and batteries have fallen so sharply that even projections for an 85-90% renewables energy system in 2035 now look “ludicrously conservative”, Lord Adair Turner said while on a visit to Brussels.

EU power utility boss: ‘Coal is finished, the hard question now is gas’

Apart from Poland, there are no plans to build new coal-fired power plants in Europe, says Francesco Starace. The hard question today is instead who will build a new gas power plant. “And many companies are not doing that either,” he told EURACTIV in an interview.

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.

Electricity sector eyes boom with cars set to lead switch from fossil fuel to green power

Europe will have to dramatically increase its electricity use if it is to stand any chance of achieving UN climate change mitigation goals agreed in Paris in 2015, the trade association Eurelectric argues in a report published on Wednesday (19 April).