Deal on establishing the Social Climate Fund to support the energy transition

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. On Saturday night, Parliament and Council reached a provisional agreement to set up a new fund to help vulnerable citizens most affected by energy and transport poverty. Negotiators agreed to establish the Social Climate Fund (SCF) to benefit vulnerable households, micro-enterprises and transport users […]

Energy transition: Here’s why the race to net zero is affordable

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Johnny Wood, Writer, Formative Content The relationship between the cornerstones of the energy trilemma – sustainability, affordability and security – have become strained since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with governments becoming increasingly preoccupied with energy independence and affordability. […]

EU-US Energy Council: Opening remarks by High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell and Commissioner Simson

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. High Representative/Vice President Josep Borrell : Secretary Blinken, Secretary Granholm, Commissioner, Ambassador Etienne, We convene today in an environment characterised by geopolitical turbulence, particularly in the Eastern Neighbourhood of Europe. While we meet under the gathering storm cloud, our discussions take a greater relevance.  We […]

State of the Energy Union 2021: Renewables overtake fossil fuels as the EU’s main power source

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The Commission adopted today its State of the Energy Union Reports for 2021, taking stock of the progress that the EU is making in delivering the clean energy transition, nearly two years after the launch of the European Green Deal. While there are a […]

7 renewable energy lessons from South Australia

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Sean Fleming Senior Writer, Formative Content A mix of renewable energy sources has helped South Australia smash its sustainable power goals, says a new report. In 2020, renewables delivered 60% of the state’s energy needs. By 2050, it […]

State of the Energy Union: Progress made on the clean energy transition and a basis for green recovery

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The Commission adopted today the 2020 State of the Energy Union Report and its accompanying documents focused on different aspects of EU energy policy. This year’s Report is the first one since the adoption of the European Green Deal, and looks at the Energy […]

New energy Projects of Common Interest for the Energy Union built on European solidarity

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Today, the European Commission adopted the fourth list of Projects of Common Interest (PCI) for a connected European energy grid, fit for the future providing clean, affordable and secure energy for Europeans. This list reflects the importance of infrastructure for the Energy Union and […]

Energy Union: Commission calls on Member States to step up ambition in plans to implement Paris agreement

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. The Commission has today published its assessment of Member States’ draft plans to implement the EU’s Energy Union objectives, and in particular the agreed EU 2030 energy and climate targets. The Commission’s assessment finds that the national plans already represent significant efforts but points […]

These are the 4 most likely scenarios for the future of energy

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Kate Whiting, Senior Writer, Formative Content The pressures on the global energy system are unprecedented. Demand is being fuelled by a growing population and economic growth, but powering the world still depends on fossil fuels, and creates two-thirds of global […]

The cost of generating renewable energy has fallen – a lot

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Douglas Broom, Senior Writer, Formative Content It’s the moment the global sustainable energy market has been waiting for. Battery technology, the essential element in ensuring continuity of supply from weather-dependent sources such as wind and solar, has suddenly […]

Hydrogen power is here to stay. How do we convince the public that it’s safe?

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Bart Kolodziejczyk, Research Fellow, Monash University & Wee-Liat Ong, Associate Professor, Zhejiang University A decade ago, hydrogen was heralded as an emerging clean energy source. But despite extensive promotion and governmental support from world leaders, including former US President […]

These 3 countries are global offshore wind powerhouses

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum. Author: Douglas Broom, Senior Writer, Formative Content Offshore wind energy is one of the world’s most underused resources, with less than one-tenth of wind power based offshore. But the Global Wind Energy Council projects that by 2023 it will account for […]

Energy Union: EU invests a further €800 million in priority energy infrastructure

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission. Energy Union: EU invests a further €800 million in priority energy infrastructure Today EU Member States voted on a Commission proposal to invest almost €800 million in key European energy infrastructure projects with major cross-border benefits. The EU funding comes from the Connecting Europe […]

EU deal on electricity market rules to benefit both consumers and environment

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. The creation of a genuine EU electricity market to better integrate renewable energy was provisionally agreed between MEPs and EU member states on Tuesday. An overhaul of EU electricity market rules was informally agreed to tackle barriers to cross-border trade of electricity and create […]

Energy Union: deals on efficiency targets and governance

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. A new 32.5% energy efficiency target for 2030 and a new instrument to help member states deliver on energy and climate goals were agreed by the EP and Council. A first informal agreement reached on Tuesday night by Parliament and Council negotiators sets a […]

Energy: new target of 32% from renewables by 2030 agreed by MEPs and ministers

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. New EU ambitious targets for renewables, including self-consumption and biofuels, were agreed by Parliament and Council negotiators on Wednesday night. Parliament and Council provisionally agreed on a share of energy from renewables of at least 32% of the Union’s gross final consumption in 2030, […]

Commission’s action plan: financial world mandatory links to environmental targets

It was last Thursday when the European Commission revealed its action plan on sustainable finance to deal with climate change. This action plan aims at mobilizing the financial world in order to achieve sustainable growth; something that the UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative has been doing for 26 years already. The huge financial gap towards […]

Energy Union: EU’s effort towards a cleaner climate with integrated energy market

The European Commission published its third annual energy report last Friday showing the progress that has been made so far since the last report in February of this year. Many policies’ amendments have been proposed for the next decade towards a greener environment and a more harmonised EU gas market. The majority of the EU […]

Better late than never? Commission runs now to fight energy dependency on Russia with the sustainable energy security package

Maros Sefcovic Canete European Commission Energy

It was last Tuesday when the Commission launched a set of measures to increase energy security in the European Union. The executive arm of the EU now aims mainly at reducing dependency from countries outside the bloc (i.e. Russia), endorsing the energy union and decreasing the use of fossil fuels by replacing them with renewables. Being one […]

18th EU Eco-Innovation Forum in Barcelona shows the way for Europe’s new Environmental policy

On 20-22 May 2015 the 18th edition of the European Forum on Eco-Innovation took place in Barcelona, Spain. The glorious “Green” Forum outside the Brussels city walls was jointly organised by the European Commission’s Directorate General for Environment, the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment, and the Generalitat de Catalunya with the support of the […]

Russia to cut gas supplies again: can the EU get back to growth without a solid energy market?

“Energy” is a word that may sound a bit alarming in the European Union nowadays. This happens because Europe has a problem: its energy supplies are not secure. The EU’s prospects of remaining a strong, independent economic and political player in the international arena will largely depend on whether the bloc will be able to […]

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