european union

The world added record amounts of renewable energy last year with 295GW of capacity deployed, up 6% year-on-year, despite supply chain constraints, project delays and high commodity prices, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), which also expects nearly 320GW to be deployed this year.  

The European Commission (EC) intends to speed up the permitting process for renewable energy projects to a maximum of one year, Reuters reported yesterday, referencing a leaked draft document it had seen.

The European Union (EU) should set higher solar PV deployment targets and speed up the energy transition to phase out its energy dependency on Russia as soon as possible, according to five member states of the bloc.

The heads of five major energy trade bodies in Europe have written to the European Union and member states urging them not to change the current power price setting mechanism in light of the continent’s energy crisis and instead pursue greater renewables rollout.

Governments must ensure that their energy security policies are compatible with net-zero scenarios mapped out by the International Energy Agency (IEA) or the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), according to the UN’s Environment Programme (UNEP).

Enel Green Power (EGP) has signed a grant agreement with the European Commission for a 3GW PV module plant in Catania, Italy, with an R&D commitment to pursue tandem cell production in the coming years.

SolarPower Europe has issued a list of eight actions that will help Europe accelerate solar deployment to reach a total capacity of 1TW by 2030 and reduce its reliance on Russian fossil fuels imports.

Europe can halve the amount of gas in its energy mix and reduce energy costs by €323 billion (US$356 billion) if it rapidly accelerates renewable deployment, according to a new report from energy technology group Wärtsilä.

The war in Ukraine will “turbocharge” the global green hydrogen sector as the cost of alternatives soar by more than 70% and Europe seeks to reduce its reliance on Russian gas with a series a financial packages, according to Rystad Energy.

The European Commission (EC) will look to simplify renewables permitting as part of a new strategy aimed at increasing the EU’s energy independence while ending its reliance on Russian gas before 2030.