EEA Report | No 11/2017 EEA SIGNALS 2017 Shaping the future of energy in Europe: Clean, smart and renewable Cover design: Formato Verde Layout: Formato Verde Contents Legal notice The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the official opinions of Editorial — Shaping the future of energy in Europe: the European Commission or other institutions of the European Union. Neither the European Environment Agency nor any person or company acting on behalf Clean, smart and renewable 4 of the Agency is responsible for the use that may be made of the information contained in this report. Energy in Europe — State of play 11 Copyright notice © EEA, Copenhagen, 2017 Reproduction is authorised, provided the source is acknowledged, save where Energy and climate change 21 otherwise stated. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2017 Interview — Growing food or fuel on our land? 30 ISBN: 978-92-9213-880-6 Making clean renewable energy happen 39 ISSN: 2443-7662 doi: 10.2800/85058 Interview — Energy efficiency benefits us all 46 Environmental production This publication is printed according to high environmental standards. Driving to an electric future? 51 Printed by Rosendahls-Schultz Grafisk — Environmental Management Certificate: DS/EN ISO 14001: 2004 — Quality Certificate: DS/EN ISO 9001: 2008 Global and local: secure and affordable energy 59 — EMAS Registration. Licence no. DK – 000235 — Ecolabelling with the Nordic Swan, licence no. 541-457 — FSC Certificate – licence code FSC C0688122 Further reading 65 Paper Cocoon Offset — 100 gsm. Cocoon Offset — 250 gsm. Printed in Denmark You can reach us By email: [email protected] On the EEA website: www.eea.europa.eu/signals On Facebook: www.facebook.com/European.Environment.Agency On Twitter: @EUenvironment Order your free copy at the EU Bookshop: www.bookshop.europa.eu © Ferenc Erdélyi, My City /EEA Shaping the future of energy in Europe: Clean, smart and renewable Editorial Our quality of life depends, among other increasing the impacts on our health and Hans Bruyninckx things, on a reliable supply of energy at an our planet. Or we can decide to embrace EEA Executive Director affordable price. We use energy to heat and invest in new and cleaner options, and cool our homes, to cook and preserve while discontinuing some of our current our food, to travel and to build schools, preferences and habits. This might mean hospitals and roads. We use machines to that all road vehicles become electric in carry out numerous tasks, contributing to coming decades, all roofs are covered our wealth and wellbeing, and machines with solar tiles, all buildings are insulated need energy. We still burn fossil fuels to prevent heat loss and all products are to obtain most of the energy we use. designed to last longer and be re-used Moreover, we waste a substantial part of and recycled easily. It might also mean this energy before and during use. discontinuing subsidies for fossil fuels. Many countries continue 1 subsidising Combustion of fossil fuels affects us all them, despite repeated commitments 2 in one way or another. It releases air and calls 3 on international platforms to pollutants into the atmosphere and harms phase out such subsidies within a decade. our health. It also releases greenhouse gases and contributes to climate change, In the last decade, the political causing increasingly severe storms, floods commitment to curb global greenhouse and heatwaves. Our dependence on fossil gas emissions has been growing, and fuels can alter the pH levels of oceans, it culminated in the Paris Agreement deplete the oxygen in lakes and affect of December 2015. Even in countries crop yields. where political leaders are sceptical about global efforts, local and regional It is clear that we need energy but this authorities, businesses, investors and energy does not necessarily have to be citizens are coming forward and making obtained by burning fossil fuels. We a commitment to a low-carbon world. are at a critical decision point in time: Similarly, in this last decade, the research the negative impacts of our current community and businesses have come energy choices on the one hand, and the up with innovations that have led to opportunities that clean energy sources the growth of solar and wind power offer on the other. We can choose to generation far beyond any expectations. prolong our dependence on fossil fuels, Thanks to technological developments 4 © Maurizio Consentino, My City /EEA 5 and effective policy support, including to those facing shortages. At the local financial incentives, electricity from level, this new approach might mean wind and solar energy has been able to that households become producers of compete in terms of price with electricity energy, selling their excess production from other sources. to their neighbours through smart grids. At regional, national and European As a result, an increasing share of levels, it would entail connecting energy Europe's energy needs is met by clean networks and stakeholders. renewable energy sources. Renewable energy has been and will be instrumental, Energy efficiency — and resource not only for achieving Europe's long-term efficiency in general — is an equally climate and energy goals, but also vital component of Europe's long-term for protecting the environment and sustainability goals. In general, only human health. a part of the initial energy is actually used in providing goods and services Harvest, store, transport, and contributing to our quality of life. conserve energy Technological improvements, better insulated buildings, smart grids, energy Despite these positive signs, there are efficiency standards and labels, and, most still key challenges we must tackle to of all, smart behaviour by energy users — boost renewable energy production and all of us — can help minimise energy loss. phase out our dependence on fossil fuels. The sun provides our planet with ample Some sectors, transport for example, amounts of clean energy. However, we might have a harder time than others in are still not able to harvest, store and switching to cleaner energy alternatives. transport this energy at a scale sufficient In road transport, electricity generated to allow us to use it when and where we from renewable sources can become need it. a viable alternative to fossil fuels but the infrastructure, such as a network of This is much more than a technological charging stations, needs to be developed challenge. It entails a different way of accordingly. Biofuels can also contribute generating and using energy, moving to reducing fossil fuel use in transport but from a very limited number of large their overall benefit needs to be measured producers favouring certain fuels to more against a number of factors, including decentralised power generation by many their potential pressures on land and producers, tapping into local renewable water use during production. energy potential. A decentralised and widespread power generation capacity can also contribute to Europe's energy security and allow the surplus to be transported from energy-rich regions 6 © Ed Dunens, Flickr 7 High dependence on fossil fuels and imports Clean energy in the making support measures. Making the entire Inefficiencies in energy generation and use infrastructure and power generation Impacts on health, climate and the environment Despite such challenges, the transition to capacity smart and clean will take ENERGY TODAY clean energy is already happening across decades. The European workforce will also Europe. Homeowners, cities, companies, need to acquire new professional skills, regional authorities, national governments especially in communities that are highly and the European Union (EU) are taking dependent on fossil fuels, such as coal. action by building smart grids, installing And the choices and investment decisions solar and wind power, investing in we make today will lock us into a path for Air pollution Innovation, jobs, innovation and adopting standards and the decades to come. Climate change demand for renewables, CHALLENGES OPPORTUNITIES labels. Frontrunner towns once known Lifestyle choices energy efficiency for their coalmines are embracing In a world where the global demand for Investment lock-ins etc. innovation and renewable energy sources, energy and natural resources is expected attempting to tackle their decades- to multiply, and climate change impacts to long history of unemployment in the intensify, there is only one viable option. process. The renewable energy 4 sector That is what the EU has been working in Europe continued to grow despite the towards: a low-carbon circular economy, economic downturn of 2008 and is now an Energy Union focusing on renewable providing jobs to more than 1 million sources, energy efficiency, security and Investment people. Researchers are exploring how affordability, all supported by investing Lifestyle to harvest more of solar or tidal energy. funds in infrastructure, new skills CHOICES Transport However, such small-scale efforts and and innovation. etc. initiatives need to be taken up much more widely across the continent and economic sectors. Hans Bruyninckx EEA Executive Director Some difficult questions will need to be answered along the way, including how to support the communities that will be affected by the economic restructuring resulting from the discontinuation of SOLUTIONS / WAY FORWARD unsustainable technologies and activities. Or, whether or not all of the renewable energy sources can be considered clean in the long run and if we will need to rely on some bridging technologies in the short and medium term. LOW CARBON GOAL by 2050 FUTURE Living well within the As for any fundamental change, this limits of our planet transition needs time and resources, supported by long-term policy goals and 8 9 Energy in Europe — State of play European countries consume less energy compared with 10 years ago, mainly due to energy efficiency gains. Europe also relies less on fossil fuels due to energy savings and the faster-than-expected uptake of renewable energy.