Introduction

The achievement of the goals of the European energy and climate change policy necessitates the development and deployment of a diverse portfolio of low carbon energy technologies. This is a key conclusion from the Commission Communication An Energy Policy for EuropeCOM(2007)1. However, according to the 2nd Strategic European Energy ReviewCOM(2008)0781 the EU will continue to rely on conventional energy technologies unless there is a radical change in our attitude and investment priorities for the energy system. In response, the EU has endorsed the European Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET-Plan) as a vehicle to accelerate the development and large scale deployment of low carbon technologies that draws upon the current R&D activities and achievements in Europe. It proposes a new innovation model based on a collective approach to research, development and demonstration planning and implementation with a focus on large scale programmes. The pertinence of this approach has already been recognised by the international communityO. Edenhofer and N. Stern: Towards a global green recovery, Recommendations for immediate G20 Action, G20 London Summit, 2009.

The implementation of the SET-Plan has started and is currently working towards the establishment of large scale programmes such as the European Industrial Initiatives (EIIs) that bring together industry, the research community, the Member States and the Commission in risk-sharing, public-private partnerships aiming at the rapid development of key energy technologies at the European level. Six priority technologies have already been identified as the focal points of the first EIIs: wind, solar, electricity grids, bioenergy, carbon capture and storage and sustainable nuclear fission. A further initiative on energy efficiency in cities is currently being proposed, with the aim of stimulating the take-up of low carbon technologies developed in the other EIIs or by other programmes.

Other Initiatives may be proposed in the future. In parallel, the European Energy Research Alliance (EERA), which brings together key European research organisations, has been working since 2008 to align their individual R&D activities to the needs of the SET-Plan priorities and to establish a joint programming framework at the EU level. The purpose of this document is to present the costed technology roadmaps for the implementation of the six first European Industrial Initiatives, the Initiative on Smart Cities and the EERA during the next 10 years.