Initiatives to improve energy efficiency can reduce the EU’s dependence on Russian fossil fuels. They can also help increase the union’s influence in the global south. Mats Engstrom discusses the issues in an article on the European Council on Foreign Relations website. Efficient influence: Energy initiatives for a geopolitical Europe Russia’s brutal war on … Continue reading Calling for greater energy efficiency to reduce EU dependence on Russian fossil fuels
Category: European energy policies
One MEP makes powerful argument for Europe giving more focus to energy efficiency
modern thermostats, and building insulation - could go a long way toward enabling the EU to cut dependence on Russia’s natural gas and petroleum products. As it is, the EU is the single largest customer for Russia's natural gas and petroleum products. Russia accounts for around 40 per cent of the EU's gas imports and … Continue reading One MEP makes powerful argument for Europe giving more focus to energy efficiency
Putting some urgency into need to deploy heat pumps in Europe
As the European Union tries to free itself from Russian gas, it should offer subsidies and policy supports to boost heat-pump adoption, a new report says. Jeff St. John discusses in an article on the Canary Media website. How to move Europe from gas heat to heat pumps — fast Heat pumps play a major role in … Continue reading Putting some urgency into need to deploy heat pumps in Europe
The electricity alignment of Ukraine and Moldova is more than a technical integration, it is also a strategic political alignment
But more than just a technical integration of systems and capacity, electricity alignment is also a strategic political alignment not far from the level of joining the EU. Indeed, Russia’s invasion has opened a discussion across Europe and beyond about how and where countries source their energy. It might not guarantee energy security as critical … Continue reading The electricity alignment of Ukraine and Moldova is more than a technical integration, it is also a strategic political alignment
The European Parliament’s lead negotiator has proposed tougher EU targets to reduce energy use this decade
The European Parliament’s rapporteur for the revision of the Energy Efficiency Directive (2018/2002), Niels Fuglsang (S&D, Denmark), has proposed increasing the EU’s energy efficiency target to at least 43% for final energy consumption and 45.5% for primary energy consumption, according to his draft report sent to shadow rapporteurs on Friday 18 February. Kate Abnett writes … Continue reading The European Parliament’s lead negotiator has proposed tougher EU targets to reduce energy use this decade
Discouragingly, the door is open in the EU for more “blue hydrogen” projects
The oil and gas industry is promoting the use of “low-carbon” hydrogen derived from methane that is potentially dirtier than burning fossil gas for energy, scientists and analysts. EU green investment rules facilitate the rollout of blue hydrogen, a fuel that could be more polluting than the fossil gas it is set to replace. Not surprisingly, … Continue reading Discouragingly, the door is open in the EU for more “blue hydrogen” projects
Call for reform of EU power market rules
The ongoing electricity price hike fuelled by the gas crisis makes a reform of EU power market rules more urgent than ever, argue friends of EiD Mike Parr, director of PWR, and Simon Minett, founder of Challoch-Energy in an article on the EURACTIV website. High electricity prices, renewables and windfall profits – all paid … Continue reading Call for reform of EU power market rules
New BPIE report: climate impact of new buildings much too high
This week, the Buildings Performance Institute Europe (BPIE) published a new report on nearly zero energy building standards in six member states that show decarbonisation of new buildings in is not happening fast enough. A failure to decarbonise newly constructed buildings could prevent the EU from achieving its climate targets for 2030 and 2050, according … Continue reading New BPIE report: climate impact of new buildings much too high
Europe energy savings practices for business is inefficient, auditors say
Kate Abnett reports on the Reuter’s website that auditors have found that significant EU funding to help businesses save energy were misspent in the 2014-2020 budget. The auditors estimated that projects backed by that funding achieved only 0.3% of the annual savings needed to reach the EU's target to cut final energy consumption by 32.5% … Continue reading Europe energy savings practices for business is inefficient, auditors say
New EEA report on EU ETS emissions continuing to decrease
Under current and planned measures, EU Member States project that ETS emissions will continue to decrease in the coming decades albeit at a slower pace than historically, according to the latest annual European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing 'Trends and projections in the EU ETS' published this week. On recent trends, greenhouse gas emissions from stationary … Continue reading New EEA report on EU ETS emissions continuing to decrease
