Setting up an multi-disciplinary Energy Transition Expertise Centre (EnTEC) providing expertise in analysing and accompanying the transformation processes in the EU energy transition.
The aim of the EnTEC Research Centre is to inform the EC on important topics for the energy transition and analyse the impact on and interaction with other sectors. The overarching goal is to contribute to the European Green Deal ambitions and define further key research and innovation priorities.
The clean energy transition has spurred the modernisation of the European economy, driven sustainable economic growth and brought strong societal and environmental benefits for European citizens. The EU has been broadly on track to achieve its 2020 greenhouse gas, renewable energy and energy efficiency targets. For 2030, ambitious targets have been set for renewables (32% of total energy consumption) and energy efficiency (32,5% reduction compared to projections), and new rules have been adopted to ensure that these targets will be reached in a cost-efficient way that keeps energy prices competitive and maintains the high-level of security of supply in the EU.
The targets for 2030 are however only intermediate – they support the EU to get on track to meet its commitments under the Paris Agreement. The Commission’s long-term strategy outlines the economic and societal transformations required to achieve the transition to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and the European Green Deal aims to further cut emissions by at least 55% by 2030.
For the EU to keep or even increase the pace of the energy transition, it is necessary to look beyond the ‘conventional’ wisdom and beyond the energy sector to other trends, science and sectors and scan the horizon for (potentially) relevant technologies and innovations that can contribute to the energy transition. A multi-disciplinary and cross-sectoral monitoring, analysis of and debate on new technologies and innovations is needed to ensure adequate policy responses in support of the energy transition and to feed into the structural dialogues with stakeholders (e.g. on energy market legislation, infrastructure, research and innovation).
To meet these challenges a (virtual) multi-disciplinary centre of expertise for the energy transition – EnTEC - has been set up that monitors and analyses trends in technologies and innovations that are relevant for the energy transition, in the energy sector but also in other relevant sectors, in particular transport and mobility, industry, the digital sector and cities, homes and buildings. The centres work is also related to the overall aim of creating a (more) sustainable society. Further, the experts of the EnTEC will analyse the impacts of technologies and innovations on the energy transition, provide recommendations for policy responses that guide the energy transition and its impact on and interaction with other sectors and with other policy areas.
To achieve this aim, EnTEC elaborates and applies a systematic framework for monitoring and identification of relevant topics (see Figure above), of which, 3-4 topics will be selected and defined for an explorative or in-depth analysis per year. The explorative/in-depth projects will be framed and conducted by the Innovation Research Team (IRES) of the EnTEC and external experts (see Figure below). The project findings will be discussed during biannually workshops, and presented to interested stakeholders on an annual basis.
Kick-off in January 2021
End of project February 2024
European Commission
Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI