The Commission today presented its new strategy for a competitive, sustainable and secure energy. The Communication “Energy 2020” defines the energy priorities for the next ten years and sets the actions to be taken in order to tackle the challenges of saving energy, achieving a market with competitive prizes and secure supplies, boosting technological leadership, and effectively negotiate with our international partners. (see link below)

Prioritity is Europe’s leadership in energy technology and innovation.

Four major projects in key areas for Europe’s competitiveness will be launched, such as new technologies for intelligent networks and electricity storage, research on second-generation biofuels and the ‘smart cities’ partnership to promote energy savings in urban areas.

Beyond the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), the strategy should help create market conditions which stimulate higher energy savings and more low carbon investments, to exploit a wide range of centralised and distributed renewable energy as well as key technologies for energy storage and electro-mobility (notably electric vehicles and public transport).

Re-establishing Europe’s leadership on electricity storage (both large-scale and for vehicles). Ambitious projects will be developed in the fields of hydro capacity, compressed air storage, battery storage, and other innovative storage technologies such as hydrogen. These will prepare the electricity grid at all voltage levels for the massive uptake of small-scale decentralised and large-scale centralised renewable electricity.

In order to lay the foundations of our future competitiveness in the face of strong international competition, the Commission will propose a € 1 billion-initiative to support the frontier research needed to deliver science necessary for low-carbon energy breakthroughs.

For more information see: Communication Energy 2020

For Commission Press Release see: Press Release