Nuclear fusion power

Earlier this month Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn announced Horizon 2020, an EUR 80 billion programme to help achieve Europe's 2020 targets, which includes a package of measures to boost research, innovation and competitiveness in Europe.

The Warsaw conference on the European Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET-Plan) began on 28th November - the same day as the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa, at which representatives of the world’s largest economies are discussing the future of limiting the world emission of carbon dioxide.

What is SETIS? How does SETIS support the SET-Plan? Download the new informational brochure (available in English, Dutch and Italian), which looks at how SETIS provides information for decision-making by monitoring progress of the SET-Plan.

ATEsT (Analysing Transition Planning and Systemic Energy Planning Tools for the implementation of the Energy Technology Information System) brings together EU competence on a transition towards a low-carbon energy system through energy innovation, energy modelling activities and technology assessment.

On 8th March 2011, the EC adopted its Communication, "Energy Efficiency Plan 2011", which puts energy efficiency at the heart of the Europe 2020 Strategy for what it calls “smart, sustainable and inclusive growth and the transition to a resource efficient economy.”

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is holding a conference in Pécs (Hungary) on 29th April 2011 on how EU energy policy can ensure security of supply and how we can strengthen the external dimension of EU energy policy.

The European Commission presented on 31 January 2011 its communication "Renewable Energy: Progressing towards the 2020 target". The communication shows that the 2020 renewable energy policy goals are likely to be met - and exceeded - if Member States fully implement their national renewable energy action plans and if financing instruments are improved.

According to the European Renewable Energy Council (EREC), 25 out of the 27 National Renewable Energy Action Plans submitted to the European Commission expect to reach or exceed their 2020 targets domestically.

The Belgian presidency and the European Commission organised the European Strategic Energy Technology Plan Conference 2010. More than 500 stakeholders from industry and research institutes and European and national policymakers from across Europe gathered in Brussels for the fourth edition of the SET-Plan conference. The main objectives were the launch of the next two European Industrial Initiatives: Bioenergy and Sustainable Nuclear Energy, and the kick-off of the international cooperation dimension within the SET-Plan.

In June 2010 Henrik Bindslev, Director of the Danish National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy (Risø DTU), was named chairman of the European Energy Research Alliance (EERA), replacing Ton Hoff (ECN). Here, Mr Bindlev outlines how he sees the development of the EERA and how alternative energy technologies are emerging faster than anticipated.

The ‘Renewable Energy Snapshots’ report, published in July 2010 by the Joint Research Centre (JRC), shows that renewable energy sources accounted for 62%, or 17GW, of the new electricity generation capacity installed in the EU27 in 2009. This is up from 57% in 2008.

The European Union has issued a publication entitled "Europe’s Energy Position – Markets & Supply".

This 16-page brochure provides a concise overview of the SET-Plan, the European Industrial Initiatives (EIIs), the Steering Group, the European Energy Research Alliance (EERA) and SETIS.

The European Commission released a report revealing that the EU is on track to exceed its target of generating 20% of all energy consumed from renewables, as set out in the Renewable Energy Directive. Ten of the EU’s 27 Member States are likely to surpass their national targets, while a further 12 will meet their goals. Just five countries are predicted to miss their targets using domestic renewable energy sources alone.