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 energy transition has driven the modernization of the European economy, promoted sustainable economic growth, and brought significant social and environmental benefits to European citizens. Overall, the EU is on track to meet its targets for greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy, and energy efficiency. Ambitious targets for renewable energy and energy efficiency have been set for 2030, and new regulations have been adopted to ensure that these targets are met in a cost-effective manner, while keeping energy prices competitive and maintaining the EU’s high level of security of supply.
However, the 2030 targets are only interim targets—they help the EU get on track to meet its commitments under the Paris Agreement. The Commission’s long-term strategy encompasses the economic and societal changes required to achieve the transition to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, and the European Green Deal aims to further reduce emissions by at least 55% by 2030.
For the EU to maintain or even accelerate the pace of the energy transition, it is necessary to look beyond the “traditional” perspective and the energy sector to other trends, scientific findings, and sectors, and to scan the horizon for (potentially) relevant technologies and innovations that can contribute to the energy transition. Multidisciplinary and cross-sectoral monitoring, analysis, and debate on new technologies and innovations are required to ensure appropriate policy measures to support the energy transition and to incorporate them into structural dialogues with stakeholders (e.g., regarding energy market regulations, infrastructure, research, and innovation).
To address these challenges, a (virtual) multidisciplinary center of excellence for the energy transition - EnTEC - has been established to monitor and analyze trends in technologies and innovations relevant to the energy transition, both within the energy sector and in other relevant areas, particularly transportation and mobility, industry, the digital economy, as well as cities, households, and buildings. The center’s work is also linked to the overarching goal of creating an (even) more sustainable society. Furthermore, EnTEC’s experts will analyze the impact of technologies and innovations on the energy transition and provide recommendations for policy measures that guide the energy transition while taking into account its effects on other sectors and its interactions with other policy areas.
To achieve this goal, EnTEC develops and applies a systematic framework for monitoring and identifying relevant topics (see figure above), from which 3–4 topics are selected and defined each year for exploratory or in-depth analysis. The exploratory/in-depth projects are designed and carried out by EnTEC’s Innovation Research Team (IRES) and external experts (see figure above). The project results are discussed during biannual workshops and presented annually to interested stakeholders.
January 2021 - February 2024
European Commission
Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI