EU gets tough on climate change

THE European Commission has called on public authorities, business, and researchers to join efforts in order to develop by 2020 the necessary technologies to address climate change, secure EU energy supply and ensure the competitiveness of our economies.
In its proposal, ‘Investing in the development of low-carbon energy technologies’, the Commission estimates that an additional investment of €50 billion in energy technology research will be needed over the next ten years.
This would mean almost tripling the annual investment in the European Union, from €3 to €8 billion, and represents a step forward in the implementation of the European Stra­tegic Energy Technology Plan (SET-Plan), the technology pillar of the EU’s energy and climate policy. “Upgrading investment in research in clean technologies is urgent if Europe is to make the road to Copenhagen and beyond cheaper,” Science and Research Commissioner Janez Potocnik said. Solid and consistent collaboration between public and private actors is key, he added. “Increasing smart investments in research today is an opportunity to develop new sources of growth, to green our economy and to ensure the EU’s competitiveness when we come out of the crisis.” In co-operation with researchers and industry officials, the Commission dra­f­ted technology road maps identifying low-carbon technologies with strong potential at EU level in six areas – wind, solar, electricity grids, bioenergy, CCS and sustainable nuclear fission. The selection was based on a consultation process involving the SET-Plan information system (SETIS), which offers up-to-the-minute research results on the status, forecasts and research and development investment figures for low-carbon technologies. SETIS evaluates and monitors the noted technologies that will fuel Europe’s drive to meet its energy and climate change targets.
“SETIS has been designed as a unique, accessible one-stop-shop for validated, up-to-date information about low-carbon energy technologies,” Potocnik said. “Its aim is to disseminate robust data and transparent methodologies widely, in support to the EU blueprint for research on energy technologies, the SET-Plan.”
Under the plan, the areas that receive the largest share of the investment are solar with €16 billion, and the CCS of greenhouse-gas emis­sions with €13 billion. Ultimately, the Commission wants to make the technology available for power stations that go online after 2020.
“Previous industrial revolutions have proved that the right technologies can transform for the better the way we live,” Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs said. “Today we have a unique opportunity to change an energy model based on polluting, scarce and risky fossil fuels, into a clean, sustainable and less dependent one. All depends on choosing the right technologies.”