Resources

The Clean Energy Transition Partnership (CETPartnership) is a multilateral and strategic partnership of national and regional research, development and innovation (RDI) programmes in European Member States and Associated Countries aiming to boost and accelerate the energy transition and to support the implementation of the European Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET Plan).  The CETPartnership aims to empower the clean energy transition and contribute to the EU’s goal of becoming the first climate-neutral continent by 2050, by pooling national and regional RDTI funding for a broad variety of technologies and system solutions required to make the transition. The CETPartnership will foster transnational innovation ecosystems from the very local and regional level, up to the transnational European level, thus overcoming a fragmented European landscape. Moreover, it intends to reach out to collaboration with funding partners beyond Europe, in order to broaden the knowledge and experience bases and introduce European solutions and stakeholders to the global value chains. The CETPartnership enables 50 national and regional RTDI programme owners and managers from 30 countries to align their priorities, pool national budgets of 210 Mill EUR for two joint calls in 2022 and 2023, as well as to implement annual joint calls from 2022 to 2027. The CETPartnership consortium also plans to organise joint accompanying activities to enable a dynamic learning process, extract strategic knowledge (“Knowledge Community”) and maximise the impact (“Impact Network”) to accelerate the upscaling, replication and market diffusion of innovative solutions, as well as foster the up-take of cost-effective clean energy technologies. The common vision of the CETPartnership is already manifested in its Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) that has been co-created in a broad engagement process during 2020, together with the involved countries, the EU SET-Plan Implementation Workin Groups and ETIPs, all energy relevant ERA-Nets as well as the EERA joint programmes (over 500 editors, co-authors, commenters and discussants). The SRIA was endorsed together with the European Commission (DG RTD and ENER) in November 2020 contract

The Staff Working Document showcases the role of EU R&I investment in accelerating the green energy transition through hydrogen to reach the EU’s European Green Deal ambition of becoming the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. The Competitiveness Council Conclusions on the new European Research Area of December 2020 recognised the “green” and “digital” twin transition and a resilient recovery as the core directions for translating the “New European Research area (ERA)” into concrete policy and funding actions. The Council called the Commission and interested Member States to carry out an agenda process for a green hydrogen R&I ERA pilot action in 2021. This Staff Working Document also contributes to the green hydrogen pilot launched under the European Research Area, which aims at developing and implementing a common Strategic Research and Innovation agenda for green hydrogen1 between the Commission and interested Member States. Achieving a climate-neutral EU economy by 2050 calls for the EU to ensure a complete switch from fossil fuels to clean (renewable) energy for all energy uses and a deep decarbonisation of highly emitting industrial sectors such as steel and chemical industries (most notably refinery and fertilizer plants), as well as the transport sector. It is widely recognised that this would require production, distribution, storage and use of clean hydrogen at scale. contract

The time is ripe to tap into hydrogen’s potential contribution to a sustainable energy system. In 2019, at the time of the release of the IEA’s landmark report The Future of Hydrogen for the G20, only France, Japan and Korea had strategies for the use of hydrogen. Today, 17 governments have released hydrogen strategies, more than 20 governments have publicly announced they are working to develop strategies, and numerous companies are seeking to tap into hydrogen business opportunities. Such efforts are timely: hydrogen will be needed for an energy system with net zero emissions. In the IEA’s Net Zero by 2050: A Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector, hydrogen use extends to several parts of the energy sector and grow sixfold from today’s levels to meet 10% of total final energy consumption by 2050. This is all supplied from low-carbon sources. contract

The overarching driver for this work programme is to accelerate the twin green and digital transitions and associated transformation of our economy, industry and society with a view to achieving climate neutrality in Europe by 2050. This encompasses the transition to greenhouse gas neutrality of the energy and mobility sectors by 2050 at the latest (as well as that of other sectors not covered by this cluster), while boosting their competitiveness, resilience, and utility for citizens and society. Europe has been at the forefront of climate science and is committed to keep delivering the knowledge for enabling efficient pathways and just transitions to climate neutrality. Activities of this work programme support the implementation of the Paris Agreement and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. By creating more jobs, accelerating economic and social transformation, faster digitalisation and by generating innovation-based and inclusive growth, activities will aid Europe’s recovery in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis, contributing directly to the Commission priorities of a European Green Deal, a Europe fit for the digital age, and an economy that works for the people. The European Commission’s strategic vision “A Clean Planet for All” outlines that the move to climate neutrality – along with faster digitalisation and accelerated economic and societal changes – will transform the energy and mobility sectors in the coming decades making them increasingly intertwined. Research and Innovation will heavily influence the speed at which these transitions can take place, directly affecting the associated costs, impacts and co benefits, such as better air and water quality, increased employment, social inclusion, sustainable resource management (including the circular economy and biodiversity), and reduced dependency on fossil fuels. A key contribution to success is the development of a wide portfolio of – from a life-cycle perspective – cost-effective climate neutral alternatives for emitting activities, based on often in combination with enhanced sector coupling, digitalisation, system integration and leveraging, whenever appropriate, the existing Earth observation and monitoring programme Copernicus. The twin green and digital transitions require instilling profound changes in social practices and skills requirements, as a result, engaging society in the co-design, co-development, and co-implementation of innovations also through social innovation. contract

A transformative R&I Programme across Europe, the European Partnership for Clean Energy Transition will boost and accelerate energy transition in all its dimensions. It will enable joint R&I programmes from regional to national and global level, co-supported by industry, public organisations, research and citizens’ organisations to make Europe a frontrunner in energy innovation and eventually the first climate-neutral continent. With an ambitious SRIA targeting 2030 it will address key challenges of energy transition with a clear output orientation and measurable impacts. contract

The partnership will set an ambitious research programme to accelerate the development of zero tailpipe emission road transport in Europe with a system approach, it will develop a common vision and deliver a multi-stakeholders roadmap for a climate-neutral and clean road transport system. It will improve air quality, the mobility safety of people and of goods, hence ensure future European leadership in innovation, production and services. By paving the way to a climate neutral road transport system, the partnership will make a key contribution to the success of the European Green Deal. contract

Under the Regulation (EU) 2018/1999 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018 on the Governance of the Energy Union and Climate Action Cyprus national energy and climate plan (NECP) has been drawn up to perform the requirement laid down in Article 9(1) of Regulation (EU) 2018/1999 on the Governance of the Energy Union and Climate Action, in accordance with which each Member State must prepare and submit to the Commission their national energy and climate plan. In October 2014, The European Council endorsed 4 targets on the 2030 climate and energy policy framework at EU level: (a) a binding EU target of 40% less greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, compared to 1990; (b) a target of at least 32% renewable energy consumption; (c) a 32.5% improvement in energy efficiency; (d) an electivity interconnection of at least 15%. On energy security, the European Council endorsed further measures to reduce the EU's energy dependence and increase the security of its electricity and gas supplies. Moreover, under EU legislation adopted in May 2018, EU Member States have to ensure that greenhouse gas emissions from land use, land use change or forestry are offset by at least an equivalent removal of CO₂ from the atmosphere in the period 2021 to 2030. The Regulation on the inclusion of greenhouse gas emissions and removals from land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) into the 2030 climate and energy framework was adopted by the Council on 14 May 2018, following the European Parliament vote on 17 April 2018. The Regulation implements the agreement between EU leaders in October 2014 that all sectors should contribute to the EU's 2030 emission reduction target, including the land use sector. It is also in line with the Paris Agreement, which points to the critical role of the land use sector in reaching our long-term climate mitigation objectives. contract

A review of 10 technologies setting the pace of the energy transition over the next five years. Debate and uncertainty about the energy transition tend to focus on what technology can and can’t do. All too often, such discussions involve wishful thinking, advocacy of a favoured technology, or reference to outdated information. Through this report, we bring insights derived from our daily work with the world’s leading energy players, including producers, transporters, and end users. Each of the ten chapters that follow are written by our experts in the field – or, in the case of maritime technologies, on the ocean. Because the pace of the transition is intensifying, describing any given technology is like painting a fast-moving train. We have attempted to strike a balance between technical details and issues of safety, efficiency, cost, and competitiveness. Transition technologies are deeply interlinked, and in some cases interdependent; any discussion on green hydrogen, for example, must account for developments in renewable electricity, hydrogen storage and transport systems, and end-use technologies such as fuels cells. contract

We have no time. The window is closing and the pathway to a net zero future is narrowing. This was the message I delivered plainly and unambiguously when we released the World Energy Transitions Outlook preview at the Berlin Energy Transitions Dialogue earlier this year. Science is clear: 45% of global greenhouse gas emissions from 2010 levels must be reduced by 2030. Unfortunately, the recent trends show that the gap between where we are and where we should be is widening. We are on the wrong path, and we need to change the course now. The choices we make in the coming years will have a far-reaching impact. They could bring us on a path toward the goals we set out in 2015 when we adopted the highly consequential international agreements on sustainable development and climate change. Or they could take us in the opposite direction to further warming, with profound and irreversible economic and humanitarian consequences. It is unwise to make predictions or pre-empt outcomes at uncertain times. But several trends are shaping an unfolding energy transition and giving an indication of its direction. First, the costs of renewable technologies have plummeted to the point that new fossil-based electricity is no longer an attractive option. Second, the progress in the power sector is spilling over to end uses, allowing a re-imagining of possibilities with the abundance of renewable options at hand. Third, a consensus has formed that an energy transition grounded in renewable sources of energy and efficient technologies is the only way to give us a fighting chance of limiting global warming by 2050 to 1.5°C. Only a few years ago, the renewables-centred approach espoused by IRENA was considered too progressive, idealistic or even unrealistic. Today, our vision has become mainstream, and accepted as the only realistic option for a climate-safe world. And this is reflected in the growing number of commitments to net zero strategies by countries in all corners of the world, creating unprecedented political momentum for a transformative change. contract

A new era is underway. Globally, there is a shared sense of urgency to cut emissions and transform the energy system to tackle the climate crisis. There is also an urgent need to create jobs, reduce air pollution, boost innovation and cut Europe’s dependence on imported gas and oil. As the EU initiates the concrete steps to achieve net-zero emissions with the ‘Fit for 55 package’, electricity and its multiple uses and benefits must be a key priority. The power sector will have a new role at the core of both emerging and established industries, particularly in the next 10 years which are crucial to accelerating decarbonisation. As the findings of the ‘Electric Decade: challenges & opportunities’ report show, this shift is first and foremost demand driven. Consumers, businesses, and governments are all looking to become sustainable and use more clean and renewable electricity. Analysis shows that the benefits go far beyond decarbonisation, especially for customers and industry. contract