Energy
Assessing EU’s direct and indirect energy dependencies
Europe is highly dependent on fossil fuels, and 97% of the EU’s oil consumption is imported as well as 90% of its fossil gas consumption. How can Europe address this issue, especially at a time of geopolitical tensions that have a significant impact on energy and the economy? Assessing EU's direct and indirect energy dependencies ...
Can e-fuels power Europe’s low carbon future?
In the spirit of technological neutrality, Europe is exploring multiple pathways to decarbonisation. Among them are e-fuels, whose chemical composition is identical to that of fossil fuels but are produced through synthetic processes rather than extracted and refined. This makes them a potential low-carbon alternative – provided that key sustainability criteria are met and critical ...
Carbon capture, utilisation and storage: a polarising or pragmatic part of the EU climate toolbox?
Carbon capture, utilisation and storage technologies could help tackle hard-to-abate emissions in the fight against climate change, but they face challenges in investment, viability and scepticism when it comes to risks of greenwashing and allowing business as usual. Carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) are a family of technologies that stop emitted carbon dioxide from ...
Renewable energy for urban areas: biogas – its possibilities and limitations
When talking about renewable energy, most people think about solar or wind power. However, other forms of energy are also renewable. Bioenergy for instance is energy extracted from biomass, and it includes both energy coming from direct combustion of biomass and liquid biofuels, as well as biogas from anaerobic digestion (also called methanisation). Could generating ...
Nuclear energy: innovation and sustainability
Interview nuclear physics expert Prof. Bent Lauritzen "Nuclear energy will play a decisive role in a transition to a low carbon European economy", says nuclear physics expert Bent Lauritzen of the Technical University of Denmark. However, "continued research and development in nuclear energy provision will be decisive if the European nuclear industry is to regain ...
Is burning wood really a form of renewable energy?
Over the last few decades, we have been presented with various possibilities for producing cleaner forms of energy. Recently, the climate change crisis has forced national governments, international institutions and organisations to develop programmes to reduce our pollution of the environment. The main question that has arisen is: How can we respond to the increasing ...