Electricity trading can bring down the costs of the EU’s transition to a competitive low-carbon economy, in particular by facilitating the integration of renewable energy from variable sources. This CEPS Special Report finds, however, that insufficient grid infrastructure and regulatory obstacles prevent the trading potential from being fully realised in northern Europe. While acknowledging that many interconnector projects are under development, it identifies various barriers that are precluding the grid rollout from taking place on time.

The aim of the APRAISE project (FP7) is to improve the decision basis for EU and national policy makers for selecting an efficient environmental policy mix leading to the transition towards a sustainable European society. APRAISE aims to provide policy makers with an improved understanding of the efficiency, effectiveness and efficacy of existing and potential environmental policies impacts and their interactions at both the European and Member State level.

As part of a framework contract to provide external expertise on energy and climate change policy, this study provided background information and advice for the European Parliament ITRE Committee on measures and actions to be undertaken in the field of new renewable technologies. It assessed the ripeness of new renewable technologies and their deployment potentials, moreover markets and industry structures as well as barriers were analysed.

This project has three main objectives: 1. Analyse EU and US energy technology road maps, the potential for synergies and opportunities for harmonisation, with the focus on energy R&D aimed at enhanced energy efficiency; 2. Identify joint EU‐US approaches to supporting emerging economies’ own efforts to embrace energy efficient and low carbon technologies; 3. Set the above in the context of the current global economic climate, and the respective EU, US and emerging countries’ actions for economic revival.

This study analysed the governance mechanisms for the new instruments blending EU grants for development aid to loans by the EIB and other European Development Finance Institutions.

 The specific objective of this project is to create and facilitate the operation of an EU–GCC clean energy network. The network is to be set up to act as a catalyst and element of coordination for development of cooperation on clean energy, including the related policy and technology aspects among various stakeholders in the EU and GCC countries.

Before joining CEPS’ energy and climate change unit, Jonas Teusch gained first practical experience in energy issues at the Economic and Scientific Policy Department of the European Parliament (Robert Schuman Fellow), the Renewable Energy Unit of the German-Italian Chamber of Commerce (Erasmus Fellow), and the Institut für Europäische Politik. He also interned at Simon-Kucher & Partners in Milan (Automotive & Engineering Division).

Holding strategic oil stocks is at first sight an obvious tool to address potential disturbances in supplies. Rationally defining the desirable size of stocks and designing rules for their predictable use is an elusive task, however. A key conceptual difficulty arises in the distinction between commercial and strategic stocks, because a physical shortfall in the oil supply will inevitably lead to an increase in prices. But if strategic stocks are utilised when prices increase they become indistinguishable from commercial stocks.

The paper discusses the link between security of oil supplies and the functioning of international oil markets. It is argued that wide and frequent variations in price are in themselves a source of insecurity for individual consumers and national economies alike. Furthermore, the impossibility of predicting future prices discourages investment and increases the fragility of the system. The paper puts forward several policy proposals to reduce excessive price fluctuations and improve security of supply at reliable prices.

NEUJOBS is a research project financed by the European Commission under the 7th Framework Programme. The project consists of 29 partners and 23 WPs. NEUJOBS objective is to analyse likely future developments in the European labour market(s), in view of four major transitions that will impact employment and European societies in general. What are these transitions?

Achieving the EU’s dual objectives of combating climate change by 2020 and beyond and implementing its ambitious Europe 2020 economic growth agenda will require the development, demonstration and in particular the deployment of new low-carbon technologies at a faster rate than is currently taking place. EU policies to make this happen have been or are being put in place.

 Workshop

"Comparing Life Cycle Analysis of Crude Oil"

21 March 2011

This Commentary presents preliminary key messages and recommendations of the CEPS Task Force on “The Strategic Energy Technology Plan: From Concept to Practice”, Taking the form of an ‘open letter”, it aims to express the views of the Task Force members in the run-up to the meeting of the Energy and Innovation European Council on 4 February 2011. It argues that a successful innovation policy needs an efficient Strategic Energy Technology (SET) Plan.

Acknowledging that efficient development of electricity transmission infrastructure is crucial to achieving EU targets for a secure, competitive and sustainable electricity supply, this paper explores ways of strengthening the supply chain. Research for the paper was carried out in the context of the SECURE project (Security of Energy Considering its Uncertainties, Risks and Economic Implications), funded by the European Commission under the Seventh Framework Programme.