Politics
« Next postsCommission and Swedish Presidency sign EU’s accession to the International Renewable Energy Agency
1 December 2009
Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs and the Swedish Secretary of State Ola Alterå have signed in Berlin the Statute of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). By their signing the European Union has become the 138th Member of this new organisation that aims at speeding up the use of renewable energy sources in the world. It [...]
IEA’s World Energy Outlook 2009 confirms EU energy and climate policies are on the right track
14 November 2009
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has recognised the contribution of the EU energy policies in the fight against climate change but highlighted that if global temperature rise is to be kept below 2 ° Celsius, much remains to be done. This is one of the main messages of a presentation of the IEA’s World Energy [...]
Solar Europe Initiative funding: positive but incomplete way forward
12 November 2009
The European Commission (EC) has presented its communication on the financing of low carbon technologies. It proposes an ambitious budget for the Solar Europe Industry Initiative, including photovoltaics (PV), but does not sufficiently address the challenges the European PV industry will have to face until 2020. Technology roadmaps to clarify the way forward are very [...]
Category: Politics, Solar energy
New EU-US Energy Council to boost transatlantic energy cooperation
7 November 2009
A new EU-US Energy Council was launched this week in Washington. The meeting brought together the Commissioners for Energy, Andris Piebalgs, External Relations, Benita Ferrero-Waldner and Research, Janez Potočnik, with the US Secretary for Energy Steven Chu and US Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg to launch the EU-US Energy Council. The EU-US Energy Council [...]
Wind industry says more confidence needed going into final climate talks
24 October 2009
The European Wind Energy Association is releasing new calculations on how much wind power can contribute to achieving greenhouse gas emission targets.
In a briefing for Ministers and Members of the European Parliament, EWEA says that it expects wind energy to avoid the emission of 333 million tonnes of CO2 per year by 2020. This is [...]
Category: Politics, Wind energy
Solar Europe Initiative funding: positive but incomplete way forward
18 October 2009
Communication on the financing of low carbon technologies: the European Commission positively recognises the strong potential of solar photovoltaic technology but does not sufficiently reflect industry R&D and demonstration priorities; furthermore, significant uncertainty remains on the financing model.
Today the European Commission (EC) presented its communication on the financing of low carbon technologies. It proposes an [...]
Category: Politics, Solar energy
Commission adopts four ecodesign regulations that will save the equivalent power consumption of Austria and Sweden
24 July 2009
The European Commission adopted today four ecodesign regulations to improve the energy efficiency of industrial motors, circulators, televisions, refrigerators and freezers. The regulations lay down energy efficiency requirements which will save about 190 TWh per year by 2020, which is comparable to the combined annual electricity consumption of Sweden and Austria.
“This package is a milestone [...]
Category: Energy savings, Politics
European Commission publishes template for 27 national renewable energy roadmaps
3 July 2009
The 40-page National Renewable Energy Action Plan (NREAP) template, published today, gives governments a binding framework for drawing up the steps they will take to meet binding national targets set out in the 2009 Renewable Energy Directive (Directive 2009/28/EC). The template explicitly states that Member States are to set national sectoral targets for electricity, transport, [...]
Baltic countries to join EU internal power market
21 June 2009
June 17, the Memorandum of Understanding of the Baltic Energy Market Interconnection Plan (BEMIP) was signed by the relevant Heads of State and the European Commission. This is a timely step underpinning the integration of large quantities of wind power in Europe, believes the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA). The BEMIP is a step towards [...]
Category: Energy, Politics, Wind energy
Energy Star: Commission and the US reinforce the energy efficiency standards for office equipment
20 June 2009
The European Commission and the US Environmental Protection Agency have agreed to make new ambitious specifications for computers, copiers and printers under the EU-US Energy Star Programme. The new criteria are effective from 1 July, and are expected to trigger 22 TWh electricity savings during the next four to six years in the EU which [...]
Category: Energy, Energy savings, Politics
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