Page 5 - European Energy Innovation - spring 2018 publication

Spring 2018 European Energy Innovation 5
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Innovation would like to offer their
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editorial images photos and illustrations end when Kaiser Wilhelm II forced him to resign the Chancellorship of Germany.
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EDITOR
Michael Edmund
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FOREWORD
Foreword
According to Carbon Brief, the UK’s CO2 emissions have dropped to levels last
seen in 1890. In that year, the political career of Otto von Bismarck came to an
Meanwhile, Italy established a colony in Eritrea: Europe was a complicated place
in 1890. It is no less complicated today.
And so in this issue, we wrestle with the decarbonisation of transport: Emmanuel
Desplechin uses the debate over biofuels to illustrate the wider need to embrace
every sustainable option in the fight against climate change. Even with the vast
potential growth of RE in transport, he says, it might still only account for 3%
of energy consumption within the sector. Since this might lead to a possible
tripling of the use of liquid biofuels, he argues it is that imperative to avoid labels
like “conventional” and “advanced”. On that theme, we are delighted to feature
another excellent article by Seán Kelly MEP, who explores the role of biofuels
within the context of the RE Directive. He points out that the contentious nature of
the subject – and in particular how uncertainties over the now-infamous indirect
land use change (ILUC) – have hindered investment. While arguing that not all
biofuels have the same environmental impact, he seeks a pragmatic, negotiated
way forward – perhaps with the input of the Bulgarian Presidency.
Away from that controversy, we feature a well-researched article by Dr. Jäger-
Waldau and the team from the Joint Research Centre. They remind us that 68% of
global greenhouse gas emissions come from fossil fuels, making decarbonisation
of energy the single most important factor in achieving the Paris targets. Pointing
out the gap between current levels of PV installation and those required to meet
current 2030 targets, they evaluate the potential of rooftop solar PV.
Finland demonstrates an excellent example of energy decarbonisation, as Henna
Virkkunen MEP explains. Collaboration with other Nordic countries and building
a diverse energy portfolio have enabled it to reduce fossil fuel-based energy
consumption below 40%. Put another way, more than 60% of Finnish energy is
renewable. This remarkable progress is set to continue because Finland’s future
energy production will rely even more heavily on renewables. Echoing this theme,
Kimmo Tiilikainen, Minister of the Environment, Energy and Housing explains that
technology development and renewable energy production are driving change,
while the energy sector also will increasingly become a service business.
As we are frequently told, “the sun doesn’t always shine and the wind doesn’t
always blow,” putting energy storage at the heart of decoupling energy
consumption from generation. Brittney Elzarei reviews the role of EASE,
proposing a roadmap overviewing energy storage technologies with a view to
aligning R&D effort. From this, she suggests that we can identify priorities; and
proposes a strategic energy storage plan.
Among the reasons for Bismarck’s downfall in 1890, there appears to have been
disagreement with the Kaiser over Germany’s foreign policies. Today, apparent
uncertainty over the position of the present German Chancellor has been
resolved, only to be replaced with new uncertainty over the Italian leadership,
where migration of people from the Horn of Africa appears to provoke strong
feelings. UK emissions seems not to be the only story today with echoes of 1890.
And there’s a lot more for you to read inside…
Michael Edmund
Editor