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In 2018, the European Union (EU) adopted a recast of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED), setting the framework for a common EU-wide 2030 target of 32.5% renewables in final energy consumption, for which Member States shall set national contributions. To address the disparities in national targets, the EU introduced three cooperation mechanisms: statistical transfers, joint support schemes, and joint projects. This paper provides an assessment of the utilization of cooperation mechanisms by Member States to meet the 2020 renewable energy target, offering recommendations for the RED III implementation. It analyzes the motivations of both buyer and seller countries, examines the patterns observed in concluded agreements, and interprets the dynamics of the market. The research employs a mixed-methods approach, incorporating a literature review, analysis of official statistics and cooperation agreements, and interviews with government representatives involved in implementing these mechanisms. The study reveals areas for improvement and raises questions about the efficacy of the instruments and their alternatives. To enhance the effectiveness of renewable cooperation mechanisms, a more systemic approach is necessary. The proposed new financing mechanism can ensure certainty in financial allocation and support larger joint projects of European significance. Furthermore, it is anticipated that statistical transfers will continue to be utilized due to established bilateral relationships and the need for last-minute adjustments to achieve renewable energy targets. This research provides valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders in advancing renewable cooperation mechanisms and driving the EU's progress towards a climate-neutral continent by 2050. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To accelerate the energy transition, the EU "Clean Energy for all Europeans" package aims to strengthen the involvement of end consumers in the energy market. To this end, together with so-called "active consumers" and provisions for individual and collective renewable energy self-consumption, two types of energy communities were introduced. The EU framework, however, leaves many details of the transposition process to the national level. The corresponding directives were supposed to be transposed by the end of December 2020 (recast Electricity Market Directive, defining active consumers and citizen energy communities) and by the end of June 2021 (Renewable Energy Directive, defining renewables self-consumption and renewable energy communities). In this paper, we critically discuss major developments of the transposition, including questions of the general distinction of the different concepts, governance and ownership, physical expansion, administrative barriers and the overall integration of energy communities into the energy system. The analysis builds on country case studies as well as on previous work by the authors on the status of the transposition process throughout the EU. The paper shows that the national approaches differ greatly and are at very different stages. While basic provisions are in place in most Member States to meet the fundamental EU requirements, the overall integration into the energy system and market is only partly addressed. This concerns, for instance, the analysis of system impacts of energy communities and measures that would allow and support energy system-friendly behaviour. In addition, several practical hurdles need to be overcome. These often relate to administrative requirements such as complex registration and licensing procedures, the need for the involvement of several institutions, or difficult procedures for access to relevant data. The paper concludes that discussed barriers will need to be carefully addressed if the high expectations for the role of energy communities are to be met. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to assess opportunities the Clean Energy Package provides for Plus Energy Buildings (PEBs) and Plus Energy Districts (PEDs) regarding their economic optimization and market integration, possibly leading to new use cases and revenue streams. At the same time, insights into regulatory limitations at the national level in transposing the set of EU Clean Energy Package provisions are shown. The paper illustrates that the concepts of PEBs and PEDs are in principle compatible with the EU energy community concepts, as they relate to technical characteristics while energy communities provide a legal and regulatory framework for the organization and governance of a community, at the same time providing new regulatory space for specific activities and market integration. To realize new use cases, innovative ICT approaches are needed for a range of actors actively involved in creating and operating energy communities as presented in the paper. The paper discusses a range of different options to realize PEBs and PEDs as energy communities based on the H2020 EXCESS project. It concludes, however, that currently the transposition of the Clean Energy Package by the EU Member States is incomplete and limiting and as a consequence, in the short term, the full potential of PEBs and PEDs cannot be exploited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nature-based solutions (NBS) offer multiple solutions to urban challenges simultaneously, but realising funding for NBS remains a challenge. When the concept of NBS for societal challenges was first defined by the EC in 2017, financing was recognised as one of the major challenges to its mainstreaming. The complexity of NBS finance has its origin in the multiple benefits/stakeholders involved, which obscures the argument for both public and private sector investment. Since 2017, subsequent waves of EU research- and innovation-funded projects have substantially contributed to the knowledge base of funding and business models for NBS, particularly in the urban context. Collaborating and sharing knowledge through an EU Task Force, this first set of EU projects laid important knowledge foundations, reviewing existing literature, and compiling empirical evidence of different financing approaches and the business models that underpinned them. The second set of EU innovation actions advanced this knowledge base, developing and testing new implementation models, business model tools, and approaches. This paper presents the findings of these projects from a business model perspective to improve our understanding of the value propositions of NBS to support their mainstreaming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal to decrease greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is spurring interest in renewable energy systems from time-varying sources (e.g., photovoltaics, wind) and these can require batteries to help load balancing. However, the batteries themselves add additional GHG emissions to the electricity system in all its life cycle phases. This article begins by investigating the GHG emissions for the manufacturing of two stationary lithium-ion batteries, comparing production in Europe, US and China. Next, we analyze how the installation and operation of these batteries change the GHG emissions of the electricity supply in two pilot sites. Life cycle assessment is used for GHG emissions calculation. The regional comparison on GHG emissions of battery manufacturing shows that primary aluminum, cathode paste and battery cell production are the principal components of the GHG emissions of battery manufacturing. Regional variations are linked mainly to high grid electricity demand and regional changes in the electricity mixes, resulting in base values of 77 kg CO2-eq/kWh to 153 kg CO2-eq/kWh battery capacity. The assessment of two pilot sites shows that the implementation of batteries can lead to GHG emission savings of up to 77%, if their operation enables an increase in renewable energy sources in the electricity system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a method to analyse and explore consistency within policy mixes in order to support the policymaking cycle and applies it to energy and climate change policies in the United Kingdom (UK) biofuels policy context. The first part of the paper introduces a multi-level method to evaluate consistency within policy mixes implemented over a period of time. The first level explores consistency across policy design features in policy mixes. The second level evaluates how stakeholders, and their interactions with policy instruments and each other, can impact consistency within a given context. These interactions influence the implementation of policies and can lead to unintended outcomes that fail to meet the overarching goals. In the second part of the paper, we apply our method to the UK biofuels policy mix, to explore a sector that cuts across the policy areas of transportation, energy, land-use, air, and climate change. Our analysis demonstrates how, by overlooking complex interactions in the design and implementation of policies in the biofuels sector, policy mixes have conflicted with the development of a potential low-carbon technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]