Nuclear energy must not be neglected in the push for renewables as it will continue to be an important part of the future energy mix, Mathieu Cambet, founder and director-general of solar company Reservoir Sun, told EURACTIV France in an interview.
One of the lawmakers steering the revision of the EU’s renewable energy directive in the European Parliament has called on the European Union to "at least triple" or even quadruple the production of clean energy from solar thermal by the end of the decade.
Mario Rajn, the mayor of Križevci, a medieval city of 20,000 people northeast of Croatia's capital is pushing for his city to become energy independent by 2030. He explains what actions have been taken so far.
Germany's energy transition or 'Energiewende', which came into force 20 years ago today, would not have been possible without the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG). As a number of questions still remain unanswered, EURACTIV Germany talked to one of its architects.
The solar thermal complex at Noor Ouarzazate in the Atlas mountains is at the heart of Morocco's renewable energy drive, producing over 580MW of electricity. Mustapha Bakhouri explains the country's plans to develop its renewable energy programme and build energy connections with Europe.
Wind and solar photovoltaic are way too small to cope with Europe's massive demand for heating, especially in winter, says Christian Holter who calls for allocating scarce renewable energy resources to economic sectors where they can bring the most in terms of carbon reduction.
Emissions from residential heating can be drastically reduced if Europe agrees a ban on new oil and gas boiler installations by 2030 at the latest, according to a Danish researcher who led an EU-wide study to decarbonise the heating and cooling sector.
Distributed energy solutions such as solar PV, batteries, and smart controls are getting cheaper by the day and will soon outperform traditional energy sources such as coal, gas, and nuclear power, says Hervé Touati. In any case, Blockchain-type solutions will be needed for the mass deployment of electric vehicles, he warns.
As talks on the EU’s renewable energy rules resume, one of the main talking points is how to decarbonise the heating sector, and deploy technologies like heat pumps and district heating. The International Energy Agency’s Ute Collier told EURACTIV in an interview that the task is complex and difficult.
Nordic countries have relegated fuel poverty to the history books by setting legal minimum standards for heating and giving house-owners a strong incentive to invest in refurbishment, says the mayor of the Swedish capital.
Solar energy will be critical to German and European efforts to decarbonise their economies. EURACTIV Germany reports on what contribution local schemes can make to European energy policy.
The EU has some big plans in climate protection, as well as the targets of the Paris Agreement to meet. The road ahead seems bumpy, especially since leaked Commission documents revealed renewable energy will be bumped down the list of priorities. EURACTIV Germany reports.
EU trade defence measures on solar imports from China are, in effect, a European Commission-backed cartel, which benefits only German and Chinese panel producers and makes the fight against climate change more expensive, Christofer Fjellner MEP has said.
Germany’s pursuit of a low carbon economy, the Energiewende, is in full swing, but questions have emerged over its feasibility. EURACTIV’s partner Der Tagesspiegel spoke with Boris Schucht, who is head of one of Germany’s largest electricity providers.
Gas demand in Europe will most likely continue to decline. This is the reason why the competition for additional gas import infrastructure is so fierce and politicised - there is simply no need for more, Julian Popov told EURACTIV.com in an exclusive interview.
A referendum on the new Cyprus constitution by the end of March will be successful, and the reunification of the country will open new opportunities for Turkey’s EU integration, the Minister of European Affairs of Turkey, Volkan Bozk?r, told EURACTIV in an exclusive interview.
China has a positive attitude in its EU relations, but it is also strongly determined to safeguard the interests of its nation and enterprises, Xi Jian, ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Warsaw, told EURACTIV Poland.
The prospects for solar energy are bright, but an industrial policy that attracts investment for renewables and fair global energy subsidies are needed, a leading industry figure says.
Despite generous feed-in tariffs and abundant sunshine, Greece and Portugal are "pioneers" when it comes to bureaucratic hurdles to solar PV deployment, said Eleni Despotou of the European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA).
Further mergers in the solar energy sector are unavoidable due to high competition as well as pressure from China, says Arno Behrens, head of energy at the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), a Brussels-based think-tank.
The solar thermal sector has been hit badly by the crisis in the construction sector, which had a direct impact on the heating industry, said Xavier Noyon, secretary-general of the European Solar Thermal Industry Federation (ESTIF).
Solar power in the EU is very close to reaching "grid parity" - the same cost price as fossil fuels such as oil and coal - according to renewable energies expert Sven Teske. For that reason, stable feed-in tariffs are needed to ensure market certainty, he told EURACTIV in an exclusive interview.
A cocktail of climate damage, geopolitics and the quest for new markets is fueling a rapid Chinese move into renewable technologies such as wind, solar and wave power, Miranda Schreurs, director of the Environmental Policy Research Institute at the Freie Universität Berlin, told EURACTIV in an interview.
David Eaglesham, chief technology officer at First Solar, says all photovoltaic companies are scrambling to make efficiency and cost improvements. But if Europe is to retain its leadership, decisions on a regulatory framework are crucial, he told EURACTIV in an interview.
