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How to Avoid Gas Shortages in the European Union in 2023
…should help reduce the size of this potential natural gas supply-demand gap in 2023. A recovery in nuclear and hydropower output from their decade-low levels in 2022 should also help narrow the gap. Despite all of this, the EU’s potential gas supply-demand gap could reach 27 billion cubic metres in 2023.This new report provides the IEA’s latest analysis of the extent of the EU's potential gas supply-demand gap in 2023 and sets out the practical actions that can close that gap while avoiding excessive strains for European consumers and for international markets…
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Is renewable energy capacity in the European Union making windfall profits from high wholesale prices?
Renewables 2022 This report forms a component of Chapter 4 of Renewables 2022 and addresses a key question in renewable energy markets. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine triggered a global energy crisis, leading to sharp increases in oil, natural gas and coal prices. As a result, electricity prices in Europe have risen drastically because natural gas-fuelled plants remain the price-setter in the wholesale market. Furthermore, high fossil fuel prices have resulted in windfall profits for some energy companies. In fact, the profits of major oil, gas, coal and refinery companies in the first half of 2022 more than…
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Northwest European Hydrogen Monitor 2022
…untapped renewable energy potential in the North Sea. It also has a well-developed, interconnected gas network which could be partially repurposed to facilitate the transmission and distribution of renewable and low-emission hydrogen from production sites to demand centres.The development of renewable and low-emission hydrogen in Northwest Europe is expected to gradually scale up in the short- to medium-term to reach a low-emission hydrogen production capacity target of over 30 GW by 2030. Most of the low-emission hydrogen projects are currently in the early stages of development. Their success will depend to a large…
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A 10-Point Plan to Reduce the European Union’s Reliance on Russian Natural Gas
…is at the heart of the solution, but even very rapid deployment will take time to make a major dent in demand for imported gas. The faster EU policy makers seek to move away from Russian gas supplies, the greater the potential implications in terms of economic costs and/or near-term emissions. Circumstances also vary widely across the EU, depending on geography and supply arrangements.Reducing reliance on Russian gas will not be simple, requiring a concerted and sustained policy effort across multiple sectors, alongside strong international dialogue on energy markets and security. There are multiple links between Europe…
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Will new PV manufacturing policies in the United States, India and the European Union create global PV supply diversification?
Renewables 2022 This report forms a component of Chapter 4 of Renewables 2022 and addresses a key question in renewable energy markets. The high level of geographical concentration in the global PV supply chain has led the European Union, India and the United States to introduce policy incentives to support domestic PV production. This could result in an unprecedented expansion of PV manufacturing outside of China in the next five years. However, diversifying manufacturing will be possible only if production costs fall to ensure competitiveness with the lowest-cost producers (e.g. in China and ASEAN countries) in both the short and…
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Is the European Union on track to meet its REPowerEU goals?
Renewables 2022 This report forms a component of Chapter 4 of Renewables 2022 and addresses a key question in renewable energy markets. The REPowerEU plan’s aim is to rapidly reduce dependence on Russian fossil fuels by 2027, and the European Commission estimates that this will require significant expansion of renewable energy shares in the electricity, transport and heating sectors. Although the use of renewable energy does increase in all three of these sectors by 2027 in our main-case forecast, in none of them are levels consistent with the REPowerEU plan. While the share of renewables in electricity expands…
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Coping with the Crisis: Increasing Resilience in Small Businesses in Europe through Energy Efficiency
…than half of Europe’s gross domestic product. With many small businesses already reeling from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the current high energy prices and supply uncertainty are creating further pressure on their survival. How the EU supports SMEs Since the start of the energy crisis, the European Commission has come forward with several initiatives that aim at supporting not only households but also small businesses. Already in October 2021, the Commission published a toolbox of measures that EU countries can use to help businesses, such as income support, energy vouchers, rebates on bills or financial support for…