Advanced fossil fuel production

Energy Research in Europe: Germany's Contribution to the SET-Plan

SETIS — 2012-04-18T10:40:00Z

On 19th March, the conference "Energy research in Europe: Germany's contribution to the SET-Plan" was held in the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology in Berlin. The timely organisation of the conference after the release of the EU Energy Roadmap 2050 that calls for a reinforced SET-Plan, demonstrated the commitment of Germany to the joint implementation of the SET-Plan by industry, Member States and the European Commission. About 120 participants, including representatives of the European Commission and Member States, experts from industry and science and representatives of the Federal Ministries involved in the energy research programme came together to discuss ways how to improve cooperation in the field of energy research, development and demonstration. Attached are the conference presentations and promotional flyer.

Second EERA Annual Conference to be held in May

SETIS — 2012-03-14T14:15:00Z

Thirteen EERA Joint Programmes have been launched since 2008. EERA Joint Programmes follow the SET-Plan thematic and priorities for low-carbon energy supply and energy efficiency. More than 150 public research centres, universities and more than 2,000 researchers are involved in Joint Programmes.

The work carried out by EERA has already substantially contributed to a change in the landscape of public European energy research. Four EERA Joint Programmes will undergo an open review, discussing the strategic direction of the EERA Joint Programmes within the overall framework of the SET-Plan with stakeholders.

A round-table discussion will gather national and European decision-makers and other stakeholders. The discussion will address the role of medium to long term strategic research in the SET-Plan.

For further information, including practical information about the Annual Congress:

www.eera-set.eu

'Materials Roadmap Enabling Low-Carbon Energy Technologies' published

SETIS — 2012-01-03T11:45:00Z

It also serves as a pragmatic guide for R&D activities in the field of materials for energy applications for both the European Union’s research and innovation programme and Member State programmes.

The Materials Roadmap addresses the technology agenda of the SET-Plan by proposing a comprehensive European programme on materials research and innovation enabling low-carbon energy technologies for the next 10 years. Its starting point is the sector's ambitions and technology challenges addressed in the SET-Plan initiatives ( European Industrial Initiatives – EIIs- and European Energy Research Alliance - EERA).

The energy technologies considered are: wind, photovoltaic, concentrating solar power, geothermal, electricity storage, electricity grids, bio-energy, novel materials for the fossil fuel energies sector (including carbon capture and storage), hydrogen and fuel cells, nuclear fission and energy efficient materials for buildings.

For further information and to download the full report click HERE

Renewable Energy Snapshots 2011 - a report by the JRC Institute for Energy & Transport

SETIS — 2011-11-17T13:00:00Z

Renewable Energies are a dynamic field with high growth rates. Therefore, it is of great importance to base decisions on the latest information available as otherwise important development trends might be missed.

Due to the fact that unconsolidated data are used, there is an uncertainty margin which should not be neglected. The different data were cross checked against each other, but the authors do not take any responsibility about the use of the data.

In 2010, a total of about 58.8 GW of new power capacity was constructed in the EU and 2.5 GW were decommissioned, resulting in 56.3 GW of new net capacity. Gas-fired power stations accounted for 48% of the newly installed capacity followed by solar photovoltaic systems with 23% and wind power with 16%. The total renewable share of new power installations was 40% in 2010.

To access the full report, go to:

http://re.jrc.ec.europa.eu/refsys

SET-Plan Conference 2011:the future of energy depends on research and financing

SETIS — 2011-11-30T15:30:00Z

‘Today we are sending an important message from Warsaw to Durban,’ said Jerzy Buzek, President of the European Parliament. ‘Climate protection is possible provided that we base the production of energy on advanced technological solutions,’ he added.

‘I’m glad that science has such a significant place in the discussion. All the more so because we really want energy to be one the most important elements of the 8th EU Framework Programme, which is being compiled,’ said Maria Elżbieta Orłowska, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.

Waldemar Pawlak, Poland's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, emphasised the economic significance of the European Strategic Energy Technology Plan. ‘The government promotes the guidelines of the SET-plan. It is the field of energy where it is best visible that working out solutions of stable development prospects is crucial’ - said Mr. Pawlak.

The Deputy Prime Minister also said that it is necessary to change over from a 'low-carbon' economy to a 'low-emission' economy. ‘We shouldn’t eliminate fossil fuels,’ said Pawlak. ‘Poland serves as a good example of this direction as we have managed to lower CO₂ emissions and maintain economic growth at the same time,’ he added.

Both Mr Pawlak and Prof. Orłowska emphasised the necessity to build a global agreement on the limitation of carbon dioxide emissions. ‘There is still a lot to be done on the political front. It is necessary to work out a joint international position because we will never be fully successful without cooperation,’ said Orłowska.

The Warsaw conference was the fifth annual conference on the SET-Plan. During this installment, the discussion featuring Philip Lowe, Director-General of DG Energy, as well as EU politicians, experts, scientists, researchers and representatives from industry, focused on the resources for the implementation of SET-Plan’s principles.

The Warsaw Declaration on the European financial involvement in research on energy technologies in 2014-2020 will also soon be signed. According to estimates of the European Commission, investments of about EUR 8 billion a year for a 10-year period will ensure effective implementation of the SET-Plan. The anticipated increase in investment outlays on energy technology research (from EUR 3 to 8 billion per year) can only be achieved by a simultaneous increase in capital participation from both public and private entities. ‘We don’t want to focus exclusively on the present crisis but we wish to project future solutions for the next dozen or so years which will ensure future development. Some of the objectives of new energy solutions are designed to push the whole economy forward,’ concluded Jerzy Buzek.

Deputy Prime Minister Pawlak noted that the Polish Presidency fully supports the premises of the SET-Plan and is vitally interested in the implementation of new technologies based on fossil fuels. ‘Over the past 20 years we have decreased Poland’s CO₂ emissions by 30 percent whilst doubling our economic growth. That is the proof that we can make use of our coal resources whilst simultaneously caring for the natural environment. The SET-Plan takes that into account and envisages the development of CCS technologies,’ the Deputy Prime Minister added.

‘The Polish Presidency has expended a great deal of effort to elaborate a strategic plan for EU energy technologies,’noted President Buzek. ‘As a result, the EU’s drive towards a low-carbon economy has been successfully re-orientated in the direction of creating low-emission technologies which are nevertheless based on coal,’ he emphasised.

For further information about the conference:

http://pl2011.eu

http://setplan2011.pl

European Forum for Energy Research: second European Energy Conference

SETIS — 2011-12-12T15:45:00Z

The second European Energy Conference will take place at a time for strategic decisions. This biennial European Energy Conference series, launched in 2010, promotes, consolidates and communicates the vitally necessary synergy of scientific and technical competence with knowledge on environmental and social implications.

2011 Technology Map of the SET-Plan now available

SETIS — 2011-12-08T15:15:00Z

The Technology Map is one of the principal deliverables of SETIS. It is prepared by JRC scientists in collaboration with colleagues from other services of the European Commission and with experts from industry, national authorities and academia, to provide:

a concise and authoritative assessment of the state of the art of a wide portfolio of low-carbon energy technologies;
their current and estimated future market penetration and the barriers to their large-scale

deployment;

the ongoing and planned R&D and demonstration efforts to overcome technological barriers; and,

reference values for their operational and economic performance, which can be used for the modelling and analytical work performed in support of implementation of the SET-Plan.

SETIS has supported the SET-Plan from its onset -- providing referenced, timely and unbiased information and analyses on the technological and market status and the potential impact of deployment of low-carbon energy technologies, thereby assisting decision makers in identifying future R&D and demonstration priorities which could become focal areas for the SET-Plan.

Read or download the 2011 Technology Map:

http://setis.ec.europa.eu/about-setis

Horizon 2020: in tandem with SET-Plan to achieve 2020 targets

SETIS — 2011-12-13T14:50:00Z

Presenting Horizon 2020, Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science Máire Geoghegan-Quinn said: "We need a new vision for European research and innovation in a dramatically changed economic environment. Horizon 2020 provides direct stimulus to the economy and secures our science and technology base and industrial competitiveness for the future, promising a smarter, more sustainable and more inclusive society”.

According to a European Commission press release, Horizon 2020 will bring together all EU research and innovation funding under a single programme for the first time. It focuses more than ever on turning scientific breakthroughs into innovative products and services that provide business opportunities and change people’s lives for the better. At the same time it drastically cuts red tape, with simplification of rules and procedures to attract more top researchers and a broader range of innovative businesses.

Horizon 2020 will focus funds on three key objectives. It will support the EU’s position as a world leader in science with a dedicated budget of EUR 24.6 billion, including an increase in funding of 77% for the very successful European Research Council (ERC). It will help secure industrial leadership in innovation with a budget of EUR 17.9 billion. This includes a major investment of EUR 13.7 billion in key technologies, as well as greater access to capital and support for SMEs. Finally, EUR 31.7 billion will go towards addressing major concerns shared by all Europeans, across six key themes: Health, demographic change and well-being; Food security, sustainable agriculture, marine and maritime research and the bio-economy; Secure, clean and efficient energy; Smart, green and integrated transport; Climate action, resource efficiency and raw materials; and Inclusive, innovative and secure societies.

International cooperation will also be further promoted in Horizon 2020, in order to strengthen the EU's excellence and attractiveness in research, to tackle global challenges jointly and to support EU external policies.

For further information:

http://ec.europa.eu/research/horizon2020

Friends of Europe energy summit: ‘Europe’s uncertain energy future’

SETIS — 2011-10-14T14:56:05Z

What will be the new trends identified in the International Energy Agency’s World Energy Outlook 2011?

Will there also be a “Golden Age of Gas” in Europe? The European Commission Roadmap for Europe’s energy future that will be published by the end of the year will identify policies and instruments urgently to be put in place if Europe is to achieve a low-carbon energy system by 2050. What vision lies behind this roadmap and what are the limits of an EU-only action?

Speakers will include Günther Oettinger, EU Commissioner for Energy; Fatih Birol, Chief Economist of the International Energy Agency (IEA); and Jürgen Becker, State Secretary, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Germany

For further information, including registration:
http://www.friendsofeurope.org/

European Commission Roadmap to Resource Efficiency published

SETIS — 2011-10-14T14:50:00Z

It also proposes a number of actions to be carried out by the Commission.

These include:

Defining appropriate resource efficiency targets by 2013;
Proposing legislative measures with the aim of increasing resource efficiency;
Producing a methodology to identify the environmental footprint of products;
Defining indicators on resource use;
Putting forward proposals to use 'Innovation Partnerships' for meeting resource efficiency goals (for example, raw materials);
Reinforcing the secondary materials markets and stimulate demand for recycled materials through appropriate economic incentives;
Further promoting developing payments for ecosystems services at national, EU and international level and;
Invite Member States to shift taxation away from labour to environmental impacts.

The Roadmap builds on and complements other initiatives under the flagship, such as the Roadmap for a low-carbon economy, the White paper on transport adopted in Spring 2011 and the Energy Roadmap, expected late 2011. The Resource Efficiency Roadmap also builds upon the 2005 Thematic Strategy on the sustainable use of natural resources and the EU's sustainable development strategy. The Commission will now prepare appropriate policy and legislative proposals to implement it.

For further information and to read the Roadmap:
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/resource_efficiency

7th annual Berlin Forum on Fossil Fuels

SETIS — 2011-10-26T07:50:00Z

Registration for the event is now available.

The Berlin Forum on Fossil Fuels is part of the European Commission's structured dialogue on the outlook for fossil fuels. It focuses on the role of fossil fuels with respect to climate change, security of supply and the external dimension of energy policy. Among its participants are corporations, industry associations, Member State administrations and representatives of European civil society.

The topics to be discussed at this year's Forum will include:

Fossil fuels in the EU's energy mix;
Safety of offshore operations;
Carbon capture and storage, and;
Good practices in indigenous fossil fuels.

SET-Plan Conference 2011 under the Polish Presidency of the EU Council

SETIS — 2011-08-04T12:15:00Z

It is organised by the National Contact Point for the Research Programmes - Institute of Fundamental Technological Research PAS and the European Commission in close collaboration with the Ministry of Science and Higher Education and the Ministry of Economy of Poland.

At this high-profile event representatives of industry, research, financing and policy will discuss the financing and swift development of the key low-carbon energy technologies indentified in the SET-Plan. A key outcome of the conference will be a strong political resolution on a proper reflection of the SET-Plan technologies in the next financial framework (2014-2020).

Other main topics will be infrastructural consequences of the transition to low-carbon technologies, and the SET-Plan's new initiative on Smart Cities and Communities. The conference will foster the commitment of stakeholders to developing integrated solutions to urban energy and transport problems.

Also, the progress and achievements of the European Industrial Initiatives (EIIs) and the European Energy Research Alliance's (EERA) Joint Programmes will be presented. The event will be accompanied by the exhibition on SET-Plan technologies and demonstration projects.

Registration will be available on-line at the beginning of September 2011 at www.setplan2011.pl

High-Level Conference on 'The completion of the EU internal energy market: getting to 2014'

SETIS — 2011-09-16T13:21:27Z

The conference will take stock of the progress made in completing the EU internal energy market and identify further action that must be taken in order to achieve the European Council's objective of having a fully functioning internal energy market by 2014.

For further information, including the full programme and registration form:

http://ec.europa.eu/energy/gas_electricity/events/

Download the SETIS brochure - new in the Library

SETIS — 2011-07-25T12:50:00Z

Also, find out in this 8-page brochure about how SETIS performs in-depth analyses of the current status, potential and full implications of RD&D investments on the performance and deployment of low-carbon energy technology options.

For further information and to access the full brochure:
http://setis.ec.europa.eu/newsroom/library/brochures

SETIS brochure (EN)

SETIS — 2011-03-24T08:35:00Z

SETIS is the Information System for the European Strategic Energy Technology (SET)-Plan. It supports strategic energy planning and implementation of the European Energy Technology policy.

SETIS helps define new priorities and monitors progress of the SET-Plan, including identifying corrective policy measures if needed. SETIS supports the SET-Plan governance (Steering Group), working together with all relevant stakeholders, such as Member State authorities, European Technology Platforms, research organisations and the industrial and financial communities.