Highlights from the EURACTIV / Microsoft debate on “Sustainability: Renewable Energy in Europe’s Clean Energy Transition”
Expert panellists discus the complexity of the Rubik’s cube of Europe’s clean energy transition – why touching one issue to solve one color set, complicates solving another. The discussion looks at how a comprehensive plan and market design is envisioned in the Clean Energy Package.
“Sustainability: Renewable Energy in Europe’s Clean Energy Transition”
Watch our other sections from this Energy Transition event:
Introduction and Welcome
Part One: “Green Power, Digital Future”
Part Two: “The Energy Market”
Part Three: “Guarantees of Origin”
Part Four: “Energy Efficiency”
Part Five: “Green Washing”
Part Six: “Audience Questions”
Part Seven: “Highlights”
Joining EURACTIV Reporter, Brian Maguire, an expert panel discussed Europe’s clean energy transition and participated in a question and answer session with the studio audience. The high-level panel in this programme segment, features:
Siim Meeliste, Counsellor for Energy, Permanent Representation of Estonia to the EU
Megan Richards, Director for Energy Policy, DG ENERGY
Sam Kimmins, Head of RE100, The Climate Group
Pierre Tardieu, Chief Policy Officer, WindEurope
Follow ‘The Presidency’ event series with the hashtag #eaDebates. Please join the conversation!
UPCOMING EVENTS:
November 16: “Digital Evidence – Europe’s Fragmented Crime Scene”
With thanks to:
– John Frank, Vice President EU Government Affairs, Microsoft
– The Microsoft team
– The Estonian Presidency of the European Union
BACKGROUND:
Climate change is an urgent issue that demands global action. Following the Paris Climate Agreement, Europe has embraced the clean power transition and set itself a goal of becoming the world’s number one in renewables.
This requires significant efforts from policymakers to achieve the political goals of decarbonizing the economy, achieving world leadership in renewables and ensuring a secure supply of energy to Europe’s 500 million energy consumers.
At the same time, digitization of all sectors of the economy will soon make data centers some of the major consumers of electric power. The tech sector needs to keep working on a sustained basis to build, and operate, greener datacenters that will serve the world well; which means the corporate demand for renewable energy will only increase.
The EU is currently discussing a proposed Clean Energy Package, attempting to bring solutions to the complex challenge of expanding the availability of renewable energy in Europe, and to the challenges that companies are facing when trying to purchase it.
The Package promises to unleash the potential of a powerful clean energy transition in Europe, remove administrative barriers to corporate long-term power purchase agreements to finance renewables, and facilitate their uptake.