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US State of the Union Calls for 80% clean electricity in 2035

February 5, 2012

During his annual State of the Union Address on January 25, 2012, President Obama called for an American commitment to innovation and advanced, clean energy. President Obama has laid out a Blueprint for an energy strategy which relies on “American-made energy and the skills of American workers”. COMMITTING TO CLEAN ENERGY Implementing a clean energy standard: The centerpiece of President Obama’s plan to develop and use more clean energy calls for establishing a “clean energy standard,” which would require utility companies to produce a larger percentage of their electricity from clean energy sources over time –including renewable sources such as wind, solar, biomass, hydropower, and nuclear, among others. With this requirement in place, clean sources would account for 80 percent of our electricity by 2035. Besides reducing carbon emissions, implementing a standard would create a larger domestic market for developing new, innovative energy technologies—and the many jobs that would come along with it. Targeted tax incentives: To further support a growing clean energy industry, President Obama’s Blueprint calls for renewing and extending a number of already successful tax incentives. This includes tax incentives for clean energy manufacturing, which could create up to 100,000 jobs, and the Production Tax Credit to support investment in the deployment of clean energy technologies. Opening public lands: Developing the new technologies we need is only one part of the [...]

TEN-T Call for Proposals Open January 10th 2012

31 Jan - 31 Jan, 2012

The European Commission’s Trans-European Transport Networks TEN-T Programme is one of the most important Community financing means for European transport infrastructure projects — equalling €8 billion for 2007–2013.
January 10th 2012 the call was officially opened for proposals until 13 APRIL 2012.

The Public Information day is scheduled for 31 January in Brussels. For more information on the event and the TEN-T Call see: TEN-T Webpage

The call can serve as a good basis for proposal for deployment of hydrogen infrastructure projects. 
 

“Infrastructure for Alternative Fuels” – Report by Future Transport Fuels Group

January 18, 2012

The European Expert Group on Future Transport Fuels has published at the end of 2011 its second report: Infrastructure for Alternative Fuels. EHA and HyER have taken part in the Group and have participated in its activities. The Report explains, Transitions in fuel supply infrastructure and vehicles will be needed for all new transport fuels. 

Intelligent Energy Europe 2012 Call for Proposals Open

24 Jan - 24 Jan, 2012

Running until 2013, the programme is open to all EU Member States, plus Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Croatia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. A budget of € 730 million is available to fund projects and put into place a range of European portals, facilities and initiatives. In 2012, there will be € 67 million available for funding. 

CARS 21 Highlevel Group Interim Report 2011

January 6, 2012

Important changes are expected in the global automotive industry in several areas that are likely to profoundly reshape the industry and its markets worldwide. The European Commission relaunched the CARS 21 High Level Group in 2010 in order to explore these changes and challenges as part of a ”European strategy on clean and energy-efficient vehicles”, adopted on 28th April 2010. The Group published on December 2nd 2011, the Interim report on the on “The Competitiveness and Sustainable Growth of the Automotive Industry in the European Union”. The report, which covers the group’s consensus on a number of selected topics discussed so far. Some may be further elaborated and further topics will be added in the rest of the CARS 21 process, leading to the adoption of the Final Report. The texts calls for  ”preparing the launch of a specific major initiative on breakthrough technologies (including, among others, electrification of combustion engines, hybrid and electric vehicles, fuel cells, electrical and electronic systems), taking into account the possible development of the European Innovation Partnerships on Smart Mobility and Smart cities and other relevant initiatives.” As part of the Commission’s modern industrial policy, the CARS 21 (Competitive Automotive Regulatory System for the 21st century) process, which was initially launched in 2005, aims to [...]

Trans-European Energy Networks 2012 Call for Proposals

January 6, 2012

The Trans-European Energy Networks 2012 call for proposals is open with the deadline for submission 29/02/2012.  The Trans-European Transport Networks in the area of energy infrastructures.
The 2012 annual work programme for grants in the field of trans-European networks (TEN) – area of energy infrastructures (TEN-E) – will encourage the effective operation and development of the internal market, reinforce the security of supplies and the diversification of energy suppliers and routes, facilitate the development and reducing the isolation of less-favoured regions, contribute to sustainable development and protection of the environment, inter alia by involving renewable energies.

High-level stakeholder conference on the “Energy Roadmap 2050” hosted by Danish Presidency and European Commission

January 6, 2012

High-level stakeholders will meet for the “Energy Roadmap 2050″, Milestones on the road to 2050, Designing next steps for a decarbonised, competitive and secure EU energy system. The purpose of the conference is to identify common ground and share new perspectives on: How to seize the geostrategic and growth opportunities of the transition to a low carbon energy system, while avoiding pitfalls on the way The concrete EU energy policies that should be developed to move towards 2030, specifically in the fields of energy efficiency, energy infrastructure, market design and investment incentives to promote specific energy technology paths, for example with a high share of renewables The immediate and next steps for the EU – including the assessment of potential benefits of milestones for energy in 2030 For more information on the Danish Presidency see: EU2012.dk, For the presidency’s agenda see: EU2012 priorities

European Parliament Vote on Report for Transport White Paper

December 15, 2011

December 14-15 2011 the European Parliament debated and voted in favor of the Report on the Roadmap to a single European Transport Area, submitted by the Member of the European Parliament Matthie Grosch. Significant points of the report included a reference to promote environmentally friendly transport and double the users of public transport in European Member States. Member states are suggested under the report to submit proposals by 2013 for initiatives that promoted environmentally friendly transport with the aim of doubling the users of public transport. The report explains, ”there is an acute need to take action in towns, as the population in conurbations is increasing, which will lead to increasing traffic, noise and air pollution. For this reason, mobility plans will also have to provide for increased infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists and lead to the doubling of the number of public transport users. Bus and tram transport in particular can significantly contribute to efficient co-modality in urban, suburban and regional transport, provided that the requisite infrastructure is adapted or made available.” See: Report

Energy savings deal pushed back to 2012

November 29, 2011

EU energy ministers reiterated their opposition to binding energy savings targets at a meeting on 24 November, leaving a political agreement for the incoming Danish presidency in the first half of 2012. Poland, which currently holds the six-month rotating EU presidency, presented a progress report on the draft energy efficiency directive at a meeting of the Energy Council this month. The report included amendments pushed by member states requiring more “flexibility” in achieving the proposed targets. Most EU member states “are not convinced of the approach and request flexibility to design schemes best suited for their circumstances,” the Polish presidency said, after holding consultations with all national delegations. Member states were invited to present their positions but no extensive discussion was held at the meeting as views remain far apart. “If there will be a discussion, then it will be at a political level,” Polish presidency sources told EurActiv. Moves towards a political compromise are expected to start only as of 2012. “We expect the talks with the European Parliament to start during the Danish presidency,” a Polish presidency source said. The progress report centred around the three targets contained in the draft energy efficiency directive: A national obligation for energy [...]

TEN-T Days 2011 Connecting Europe: Putting Europe’s Economy on the Move

November 24, 2011

The TEN-T Days 2011 “Connecting Europe: Putting Europe’s economy on the move” will be hosted by the European Commission in Antwerp, Belgium on November 29 and 30th 2011. The conference will allow Commission Vice-President Siim Kallas, Ministers, Members of the European Parliament and stakeholders to discuss and start preparing for the new TEN-T framework and instruments proposed by the Commission in October 2011 in the TEN-T Guidelines and the Connecting Europe Facility Regulations. Commissioner Siim Kallas will be present to launch the event and present a few words on the TEN-T program and the Connecting Europe Facility.  Each following session will be moderated by key European Commission Officials titled “Planning, regulating, funding: a policy framework for European infrastructure policy”, “Implementing the core network:the core network corridors”, and “Transport: a growth engine for Europe”. They will discuss how the new planning framework and the increase of robust implementation tools will ensure that common efforts to focus  on infrastructure will be of the highest EU ‘added value’. They will also examine how the new financial instruments can be mobilised more effectively as part of a consistent strategy that pulls together EU and national, public and private funding and financing. Parallel workshops will take place throughout both days with different [...]