Page 22 - European Energy Innovation magazine - autumn 2022 edition

Autumn 2022 European Energy Innovation
22 ENERGY RESEARCH

Embracing the era of sobriety, “Hic
et Nunc.” The EERA “Research & Innovation Manifesto on REPowerEU”
“Drastically reducing energy demand” will be officially released at the occasion of the high-
was a key policy recommendation of level policy conference “REPowerEU for an EU sustainable
the EERA White Paper on the Clean strategic autonomy” that will take place on October 19 in
Energy Transition released just a year Brussels and online. For further information and registrations
ago. This recommendation could not please scan the QR code next to this box.
be more premonitory of the absolute
imperative we are facing here and
now. Today, weaning the EU from its
dependence on Russian fossil fuels supply-generated inflation will create we knew about the energy system
and avoiding a collapse of its social stagflation conditions. One can also under question. Should we not
and economic model dictates us to anticipate that the highly contrasting increase the ambition of our goals,
deeply cut our energy consumption situation for different member states achieving the EU’s recommended 15%
in all sectors, mainly those fuelled by might generate unprecedented reduction in gas consumption would
gas, such as space heating, industry, political tensions within the Union. only entail less than a 4% decrease in
and electricity, since about a third of Only if demand reduction can dry CO emissions.
2
EU power is generated from gas. out the EU’s dependency on Russian
gas might we get energy prices back However, most important than
At the time of writing this article, in control and avoid the devastating the numbers is that to do this, we
gas trade in the EU is above 320 €/ effects of the current energy crisis. must be conscious that there are
MWh, i.e. a sixteen-fold increase privileges we will need to give up
compared to last year’s spring. Two years ago, in the European Energy in order to obtain what we aim for,
Under these conditions, heating and Innovation summer edition, I alerted which is critical in our path to carbon
electricity bills will be unaffordable that reaching the Paris Agreement neutrality and strategic autonomy
for most EU citizens, compromising targets would require us to decrease objectives. Unavoidable pillars of our
the EU’s social stability. Moreover, global emissions by about 8% yearly. strength as not only an economic
industrial activity will collapse, driving This was before a conflict started at bloc but as a referential social model.
the EU economy to contract, while the EU doors, bringing much of what The era of sobriety has started. l

About EERA
The European Energy Research Alliance (EERA) is the association of European public research centres and
universities active in low-carbon energy research. EERA pursues the mission of catalysing European energy
research for a climate-neutral society by 2050. Bringing together more than 250 organisations from 30
countries, EERA is Europe’s largest energy research community. EERA coordinates its research activities
through 18 Joint Programmes and is a key stakeholder in the European Union’s Strategic Energy Technology
(SET) Plan. In line with its mission, EERA is committed to supporting Europe in achieving a successful energy
transition in line with the EU’s climate 2050 goals and Paris commitments.
For further information, see https://www.eera-set.eu
Email: a.elgammal@eera-set.eu LinkedIn

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