The Horizon 2020 Secure, Clean and Efficient Energy challenge contributes to three focus areas of the SET Plan: Energy Efficiency; Competitive Low-Carbon Energy, Smart Cities and Communities. Activities in the work programme published on Wednesday (December 11) cover the innovation cycle from proof of concept to market uptake, and are also looking to exploit synergies with other areas. The challenge-based approach means that the topics are broadly defined, providing the opportunity for different ideas and approaches to be brought to bear in these areas. Another important element of this work programme is that it encourages cooperation between member states and the EU.
Energy Efficiency
Energy efficiency is addressed by both short and long term policies. The long term aim is to, “hold 2030 energy consumption down to an appropriate level.” In order achieve reach this, the programme will fund research and development into more efficient technologies and action to remove market barriers.The call covers four main areas:
- Buildings and consumers
- Heating and cooling
- Industry and products
- Finance for sustainable energy
The 2050 EU energy roadmap sets the target of reducing the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent of the 1990 levels by 2020, followed by a further reduction of 85-90 per cent by 2050. Renewables should cover a growing share of energy consumption. Given this, the call has a special focus on new technologies, biofuels, renewable electricity and modernising the grid, while providing flexibility in the system with energy storage technologies.
Smart Cities and Communities
As home to almost 70 per cent of the population and consumers of 70 per cent of energy, cities have a major role to play in the transition to a low-carbon economy. However, sustainable urban development requires interaction between different fields including energy, transport and ICT.
The goal is to deliver commercial-scale solutions in technologies such as smart buildings, smart digital services for better-informed citizens; identification, optimisation and integration of flows (of data, energy, people and goods); smart and sustainable digital infrastructures; smart and sustainable energy systems and smart mobility services including the use of space-enabled applications.
The challenge will be to meet local and regional specifications, and in recognition of this the European Innovation Partnership Smart Cities and Communities will fund collaborations between cities and industry that propose to deliver projects in particular cities that can be scaled for deployment elsewhere.
SME's and Fast Track to Innovation for Energy
SMEs are viewed as key to developing cost-effective and innovative low-carbon solutions and are expected to take a large role in Horizon 2020. The H2020 energy challenge will reinforce their role and offer coaching and mentoring services.
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