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In today's Morning Brief:

Launch of Europe’s largest electrolyser for clean hydrogen

Germany’s largest refinery hosts the largest electrolyser of its kind in Europe, built by Shell and the EU. European industry is increasingly driving demand for carbon neutral hydrogen for use as a feedstock in industrial processes. From steel to chemicals, most energy intensive industries aim to decarbonise via hydrogen, resulting in a series of new projects to build electrolysers capable of splitting water to produce the clean-burning gas. The project, called Refhyne, is the largest European application of a hydrogen production technology capable of dealing with fluctuations in energy supply, making it particularly suitable for use with variable renewable electricity coming from wind and solar.

The plant has the potential to first decarbonise refining processes, and then assist in balancing the power grid, said Bart Biebuyck, executive director of the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU), an EU-funded public-private partnership which steered the project. Read more on Euractiv.

 

Eurobarometer Survey: Europeans consider climate change to be the most serious problem facing the world

A new Eurobarometer survey published today shows that European citizens believe climate change is the single most serious problem facing the world. More than nine out of ten people surveyed consider climate change to be a serious problem (93%), with almost eight out of ten (78%) considering it to be very serious. When asked to pick out the single most serious problem facing the world, over a quarter (29%) chose either climate change (18%), deterioration of nature (7%) or health problems due to pollution (4%).

For More Information:

Special Eurobarometer on Climate Change

Member State Factsheets

The European Green Deal

The European Climate Law

 

The EU renewable energy directive and innovation

As the readers of this Morning Brief know already, the Commission is working to renew the EU Renewable Energy directive. The current goal is to have 32% of EU energy produced from renewable sources by 2030, but the Commission wants to boost this to 38 – 40%. Will the upgraded directive merely deliver more of the same, or will it contain any measures to promote innovation – and in particular – the development of new sources of renewable energy? According to Greg Arrowsmith, secretary general of EUREC, the measures regarding technological innovation are going to be too few. “The measures are focussed on installation and use of renewable energy. Innovation upstream, in the means to provide this energy, is much less well supported. A target will be proposed for advanced biofuels and (new) renewable fuels of “non-biological origin”, such as those based on hydrogen. But the cupboard is bare when it comes to advancing technologies for generating electricity, heating or cooling.” Read more on Science Business.

 

Farm 2 Fork: new Code of Conduct for companies and associations

Today, the Commission, alongside industry stakeholders, officially launched the EU Code of Conduct on Responsible Food Business and Marketing Practices, another deliverable under the Commission’s Farm to Fork Strategy. This Code is an essential part of the EU’s efforts to increase the availability and affordability of healthy and sustainable food options that help reduce our overall environmental footprint.  It has been developed with EU associations and companies, with active involvement and input from other stakeholders, including international organizations, NGOs, trade unions and trade associations, and together with the European Commission services. Associations and companies in the food sector that sign the code commit to accelerate their contribution to a sustainable transition. With their pledges, they endorse the objectives set out in the Code and encourage similar companies to also participate. Read more on the Commission website.

 

Cost/benefit analysis for Building Information Modelling (BIM)

The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs and the EU Building Information Modelling Task Group (EU BIM Task Group) support digital innovation in the construction ecosystem. By digitising the lifecycle (design, construction and operation) of built assets, we can increase transparency in the processes themselves and improve the construction sector’s competitiveness and efficiency. Innovation in this sector also contributes to the EU strategic priorities of the ‘European Green Deal‘ and ‘A Europe Fit for a Digital Age’.  Leading the way, the Directorate-General for Industry and the EU BIM Task Group recently published a methodology, handbook and calculation tool. It can be used for measuring the costs and benefits of BIM for individual public projects throughout the EU, for all phases of the lifecycle. This practical support for public procurers can help verify the costs and benefits of using BIM and justify potentially higher planning costs at the beginning of the project by calculating the benefits during construction and operation. Discover the BIM CBA package for procurers (calculation tool, methodology handbook and training materials) on the EU BIM Task Group website and see the section on cost benefits in public procurement.

 

Webinar “Iberian Electricity Market Simulation” (13 July)

A new energy webinar organised by INESC TEC will take place on July 13, at 3 pm, under the motto “Iberian Electricity Market Simulation”. José Villar (INESC TEC), José Carlos Sousa (EDP Produção), André Rodrigues Oliveira (INESC TEC), and Pablo Rodilla (Comillas Pontifical University) will be responsible for leading this webinar. João Peças Lopes will be in charge of the moderation. The webinar will include an open discussion on the future of the Iberian Electricity Market where João Tomé Saraiva (INESC TEC/FEUP) will also participate.

Registration to attend is mandatory and can be accessed here.

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