Library
The Library section provides a comprehensive overview of the technology descriptions and available downloadable information packages. The section includes the chapters on each low-carbon technology as described in the Technology and Capacities Map reports. Graphical and attractive descriptions of most of the low-carbon technologies are provided in the Infographics and Technology-Information-Sheet sub-sections. Finally, brochures giving colourful and succinctful descriptions of SET-Plan and SETIS (in English, Italian or Dutch) are provided in downloadable pdf format.
Technology Map chapters - 2011
Energy Efficiency and Carbon Dioxide Emission Reduction in the Pulp & Paper Industry
Pulp and paper is an energy-intensive industry. On average, energy costs are 16 % of the production costs and in some cases up to 30 %. This industry is the largest user and producer of renewable energy (around 50 % of the primary energy consumption comes from biomass).
Energy Efficiency and Carbon Dioxide Emission Reduction in the Iron and Steel Industry
The GHG emissions from the Iron and Steel industry during the period 2005 to 2008 on average amounted to 252.5 Mt of CO2 eq. In Europe, about 80 % of CO2 emissions related to the integrated route originates from waste gases.
Energy Efficiency and Carbon Dioxide Emission Reduction in the Cement Industry
Cement is a binder, a substance which sets and hardens independently, and can bind other materials together; its most important use is the production of concrete. Concrete is the most-used, man-made material in the world, almost three tonnes of concrete are produced in the world per person, twice as much as the rest of materials together, including wood, steel, plastics and aluminum.
Energy Efficiency in Buildings
About 37 % of final energy consumption is taken by the building sector (households and services). A gradual shift over the last five years has been observed from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources, such as solar energy, wind power and bioenergy.
Electricity storage in the power sector
Electricity storage is identified as a key technology priority in the development of the European power system, in line with the 2020 and 2050 EU energy targets. Power storage has gained high political interest in the light of the development of renewables and distributed generation, as a way to reduce carbon emissions, to improve grid stability and to control the fluctuations of variable resources.
Fuel cells and hydrogen
Hydrogen has been used as a chemical for centuries and now emerges as a universal energy carrier with important environmental and energy security advantages. As energy carrier, it requires energy to be produced from a variety of sources. It can be used as fuel in combustion motors or in fuel cell systems, combining with oxygen to produce electricity and water. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are avoided completely when producing hydrogen from nonfossil energy sources or using CO2 sequestration.
Technology Information Sheets
Concentrated solar power: Technology Information Sheet
Concentrated solar power (CSP) technologies produce electricity by concentrating the sun’s rays to heat a medium (usually a liquid or gas) that is then used in a heat engine process (steam or gas turbine) to drive an electricity generator.
Bioenergy: Technology Information Sheet
Bioenergy is produced by means of several chains of technologies from the production of biomass in a sustainable manner – meaning cultivation, harvesting, transportation, storage and eventually pre-treatment – to its use in a conversion process to produce the final form of energy requested: electricity, heat, CHP or biofuel for transport.
Biofuels: Technology Information Sheet
Biofuels are transportation fuels derived from agriculture, forestry or other organic feedstocks. Bio-ethanol and biodiesel are the most common biofuels used in transport, although other biofuels are also in use, such as pure vegetable oil and biogas.
Carbon Capture and Storage: Technology Information Sheet
Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technologies can be applied to energy production wherever carbon dioxide is produced in large quantities. This includes, but is not limited to, power generation and promises near zero emission electricity from fossil fuels.
Fuel Cells and Hydrogen: Technology Information Sheet
Fuel cells convert the chemical energy stored in fuels into electricity and heat. They can be fed by fuels that are readily available as well as by waste-streams from industrial processes, thus reducing reliance on foreign oil and on an electricity grid that is ageing and increasingly pushed beyond capacity.
Energy efficiency in the cement industry: Technology Information Sheet
The most important use of cement is in the production of concrete. It acts as the binder that ‘glues’ the other key ingredients of concrete – sand and gravel. Cement typically makes up about 12% of the concrete mix.
Capacities Map chapters
Hydrogen and fuel cells
Hydrogen and fuel-cells seem to attract the largest R&D investments among the non-nuclear energy technologies considered in this report: around €616 million are dedicated to this technology. This elevated investment may be explained by the fact that, unlike for most other technologies assessed, the category ‘hydrogen and fuel cells’ comprises an entire fuel chain from production to consumption with a broad range of transportation, stationary and portable applications, thus attracting a large number of different private and public actors.
Carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS)
Research investments into CCS amounted to €296 million in 2007. Both public and corporate R&D investments largely concentrate on relatively few Member States and companies with headquarters in these countries, namely Germany, France, and the UK (as well as Sweden and Denmark with regard to corporate investments). Together with biofuels, CCS-related research showed the by far lowest amount of public funding with a share of 19%.
Biofuels
Transport biofuels have become a priority in the EU policy over the past years with a rapidly growing market. This is reflected by an important research budget of €347 million in 2007. This figure is not restricted to research into 2nd generation biofuel production pathways that are a priority within the SET-Plan, but comprises all transport biofuel technologies.
Concentrated solar power
CSP-related research spending (approx. €86 million) was relatively limited in 2007 compared with other SET-Plan priority technologies, reflecting the fact that interest in this field has started growing again only relatively recently. The potential locations of CSP plants are focused in the countries around the Mediterranean and as such, it is not surprising that public R&D support is dominated by Italy and Spain, accounting for more than three quarters of the aggregated EU Member States funds.
Photovoltaics
The aggregated research investments in photovoltaic technologies (PV) are estimated to have been €384 million in 2007. The data indicate that public funds account for a substantial share (42%), and even so may not yet fully reflect all PV-related spending in large national institutes which partially is not included in the data collected in the IEA RD&D statistics (see section 2.3.2). Compared to the year 2006 public national funds increased by almost 15%.
Wind energy
Europe is leading in wind energy, holding a 61% share of the globally installed wind energy capacity in 2007 and accounting for 7 of the top 10 wind suppliers in 2006 (EUROBSERV’ER, 2008a). Given the high global investments in this technology (around US$50 billion in 2007; Boyle et al., 2008) and Europe’s strong position in this market, it is not surprising that research investments in the EU reached €383 million in 2007.
SET-Plan information system brochures
SETIS brochure (EN)
What is SETIS? What does SETIS do? Download the SETIS 8-page informational brochure on the Strategic energy technologies information system, SETIS.
SETIS presentations and reports
New JRC report: "Scientific Assessment in support of the Materials Roadmap enabling Low Carbon Energy Technologies: Fossil Fuel Energies Sector, including Carbon Capture and Storage"
The Materials Roadmap aims at contributing to strategic decisions on materials research funding at European and Member State levels and is aligned with the priorities of the SET-Plan. It is meant to serve as a guide for developing specific research and development activities in the field of materials for energy applications over the next 10 years.
Report: JRC Report on Critical Metals in Strategic Energy Technologies
The Institute for Energy and Transport of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission has conducted a study to assess whether there could be any potential bottlenecks to the deployment of low-carbon energy technologies in the EU due to the shortage of certain metals. The study examined the use of metals in the six low-carbon energy technologies of SET-Plan, namely: nuclear, solar, wind, bioenergy, carbon capture and storage and the electricity grid.
Presentation: Power Storage options to integrate renewables: the case of large-scale applications
Presentation outlines EU activities on storage development, large-scale applications in support of RES, and market and regulatory drivers and barriers.
