The challenge for making the EU Green Deal industrial plan as effective as possible

In the race to avoid climate breakdown, talk of a subsidy race with the United States is misplaced. EU leaders would be better off focusing on making the Green Deal Industrial Plan as effective as possible to ensure win-wins, write Jakob Hafele and Jonathan Barth, co-founders of the ZOE Institute for Future-fit Economies, in an … Continue reading The challenge for making the EU Green Deal industrial plan as effective as possible →

Heat pumps gaining market share in Europe

Heat pump sales, an integral part of the EU’s plan to kick Russian gas to the curb, saw record growth in 2022, with France, Poland and Finland standing out most, however, Germany is not among them. Nikolaus J. Kurmayer discusses developments in an article on the EURACTIV website. Three countries became heat pump forerunners … Continue reading Heat pumps gaining market share in Europe →

The growing importance of the EU Emissions Trading System

Derided for a decade for its ineffectiveness, this European emissions trading mechanism is now taking on a new significance writes Philippe Escande in an article on Le Monde website. Climate: 'The EU emissions trading system is now proving relevant' It can take a lot of patience, experimentation and tenacity to see a good idea … Continue reading The growing importance of the EU Emissions Trading System →

New EEA briefing on urgency to decarbonise heating

About half of the EU’s final energy consumption goes to heating, making it a key focus area in Europe’s efforts to improve energy security and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing, published this week, analyses this energy segment, urging investment in building renovations and modern renewable energy solutions. Renovations and … Continue reading New EEA briefing on urgency to decarbonise heating →

European Commission sets out rules for renewable hydrogen

On February 13th, the European Commission proposed detailed rules to define what constitutes renewable hydrogen in the EU, with the adoption of two Delegated Acts required under the Renewable Energy Directive. These Acts are part of a broad EU regulatory framework for hydrogen which includes energy infrastructure investments and state aid rules, and legislative targets … Continue reading European Commission sets out rules for renewable hydrogen →

Italy is pushing back against EU directive aimed at improving the energy efficiency of buildings

As the revision of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive slowly winds its way through the approval process from EU institutions, Crispian Balmer and Valentina Za write on the Reuters website that the new Italian government is throwing up some obstacles. How serious are they? Italy gets cold feet over EU greener buildings plan … Continue reading Italy is pushing back against EU directive aimed at improving the energy efficiency of buildings →

New Slovak law enshrines in legislation the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050

Barbara Zmušková writes on the EURACTIV website about the new climate law in the Slovak Republic. Slovak government presents first-ever climate law The Climate Law, which for the first time officially enshrined in legislation the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, was presented by the Slovakian Environment Ministry on Monday. The law also … Continue reading New Slovak law enshrines in legislation the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 →

The Netherlands had the highest share of solar power in its electricity mix of any EU country last year

Overall, solar produced 7.3% of the EU’s power in 2022. Germany was the biggest generator while the Netherlands boasted the highest percentage in its electricity mix, one percentage point ahead of Greece and Hungary and two percentage points ahead of Spain. Last year, energy grid operators saw historic growth in the number of solar panels … Continue reading The Netherlands had the highest share of solar power in its electricity mix of any EU country last year →

European Commission announces the Green Deal Industrial Plan: putting Europe’s net-zero industry in the lead

This week, the Commission presents a Green Deal Industrial Plan to enhance the competitiveness of Europe's net-zero industry and support the fast transition to climate neutrality. The Plan aims to provide a more supportive environment for the scaling up of the EU's manufacturing capacity for the net-zero technologies and products required to meet Europe's ambitious … Continue reading European Commission announces the Green Deal Industrial Plan: putting Europe’s net-zero industry in the lead →

EU member states weathering an historic natural gas crisis

Philip Oltermann, Jon Henley, Angelique Chrisafis, Sam Jones and Shaun Walker wrote an article on The Guardian website that shows the effective action EU member states took to reduce dependence on Russian gas. Within eight months of Russia invading Ukraine, the EU’s 27 member states had already replaced about 80% of the natural gas they … Continue reading EU member states weathering an historic natural gas crisis →