Energy Transition in Europe | www.energy-cities.eu

Limiting climate change requires tackling emissions from all three fossil fuels. However, our research suggests that a greater focus on cutting oil-and-gas use would not only be more equitable, but also more realistic.

The EU as a whole is aiming for 82 per cent clean power by the end of the decade but some member states are looking to go one step further.

Ground and air source heat pumps are expected to play a major role in cutting the use of gas for heating. But one major problem with them is that they need a lot of space. For those living in dense housing it’s just not practical. District heat networks are the usual alternative, but the dense urban areas they serve need to be near a large source of waste heat like power stations or other industrial units. David Barns at the University of Leeds looks at Shared Ground Heat Exchanges as another solution. Here, a set of shared boreholes draw heat from the ground, sufficient for a single street. Each house would only need a small heat pump similar in size to a conventional gas boiler. The business model will need service providers to coordinate with the street householders and the local authorities, and get their consent before making the investment in the shared system.

Viennese authorities have said that they will invest over 1 billion euros in sustainable energy in the next five years. The funds will go towards renewable projects with an increased focus on hydrogen and especially geothermal energy.

Slovenian firm HTZ Velenje, subsidiary of lignite producer Premogovnik Velenje, is the contractor in a challenging solar power project. The country’s last coal mine is exploring options for methane extraction, a gravity power plant, underground energy storage and farming.

The Swedish city is one of the exemplary models in terms of climate action
At the start of this week, Malmö’s authorities informed the public about the city’s achievements and future plans in terms of achieving climate neutrality. Although it is one of the best performing European cities in that regard, its administration (which uses 98% of fossil-free energy) seeks new ways to continue the acceleration at local, national and international levels.

Despite the targets from the Paris Agreement and their commitments to reach net zero emissions, fossil fuel producers are on track to significantly boost output in the next 20 years, the Production Gap Report reveals.

According to the new Production Gap Report, plans and projections for fossil fuel production show the volumes would be increased by 2030, except for a slight decline in coal. Instead of working on climate goals from the 2015 Paris Agreement, the governments will allow companies to churn out 110% more than the limit for holding global warming at a maximum of 1.5 degrees Celsius, and 45% more than consistent with two degrees.

Oil firms have been banned from taking an active role in the upcoming COP26 summit.
The news is a seismic victory for climate activists.
It stops Big Oil companies from sponsoring the conference and steering the narrative away from their culpability in the climate crisis.

How much does natural gas benefit from its name, which includes the word “natural”? To answer this question, we conducted an experiment to investigate the public’s emotions and associations regarding the terms “natural gas” and “methane.” We randomly assigned respondents to one of four conditions in which each respondent was asked to rate their positive and negative feelings (affect) about one of the following four terms: “natural gas,” “natural methane gas,” “methane,” or “methane gas.”

The European Union is considering tightening rules on whether wood-burning energy can be classed as renewable and count towards green goals, according to a draft document seen by Reuters on Wednesday (16 June).

2023 will mark the beginning of the decline in fossil fuels, following the peak of global electricity emissions in 2022, according to a new report released on Wednesday (12 April) by energy think-tank Ember. 

Despite the ongoing energy crises, the use of coal and gas over this winter has not increased as much as some feared. Europe is on the verge of breaking its addiction to fossil fuels

68% of the world’s population is projected to live in urban areas by 2050, according to the UN, a significant increase on the 56% who did in 2020, but the rates at and success with which cities are incorporating digital technologies into their fabrics vary substantially. 

Similar to the two navigational hazards mythologized as sea monsters in ancient Greece—Scylla and Charybdis—which gave rise to sayings such as, “between the devil and the deep blue sea” and “between a rock and a hard place,” modern energy policy has its own Scylla and Charybdis. On the one hand is the requirement to maintain sufficient energy flows to avoid economic peril. On the other hand is the need to avert climate catastrophe resulting from such activities. Policymakers naturally want all the benefits of abundant energy with none of the attendant climate risks. But tough choices can no longer be put off.

Zurich is shutting down its natural gas network in whole sections of the city to fight climate change - and save money.

Switzerland’s biggest city started the plan a decade ago as part of its environmental strategy. Residents are being encouraged to install alternatives to natural gas heating and, where this is already taking off, Zurich’s city-owned utility company is now shutting down gas supply networks.

Spain is on track to phase out nuclear power and coal power and to decommission several oil-fired plants between 2025 and 2035, and replace them with renewables. However, the country will need to invest in energy storage technologies to strengthen the security of supply.

The energy crisis will be painful for many Europeans and emergency measures are needed to ensure gas keeps flowing to keep people warm for the next few months. But the EU must also recognise that this is good money thrown after bad.

Gas is not reliable now, cannot be relied on in the future if we are to tackle the climate emergency, and we must abandon it as rapidly as possible.

Serbia’s decision to halt the construction of thermal power plant Kolubara B is the country’s first serious step in the energy transition. The move, however, does not mean that coal-fired power plants and mines will be closed down overnight, but rather marks the beginning of a process that will take decades. If the transition is prepared and carried out prudently, it will result in a cleaner environment and cheaper energy. However, if this is not done in a timely manner, the transition will be painful, first and foremost for those employed in the coal sector, but also for all citizens and the economy as a whole.