Clean Energy Newsletter

The time has come to secure a seat at the European Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) taking place in Brussels and online on 11-13 June 2024. Get ready to exchange new ideas, meet other members of the clean energy community, and expand your network.

Explore the programme and find out more about the prominent speakers and 60+ sessions exploring key topics on net-zero energy solutions, cities and citizens, renewables, energy efficiency, decarbonisation and international cooperation.

The LIFE Programme is making EUR 571 million available through a call for proposals to support projects conserving nature, protecting the environment, taking climate action and transitioning Europe to clean energy. Waste no time – finalise your project and apply online now!

A new call for proposals has been published for energy infrastructure projects included in the list of Projects of Common Interest (PCIs) and Projects of Mutual Interest (PMIs). The call makes EUR 850 million available for studies and works for both PCIs and PMIs. As of this year, besides the usual categories (electricity, smart grids and CO2 networks), hydrogen and electrolysers, and offshore projects can also apply for funding.

The support service for citizen-led renovation initiative aims to empower energy communities and put citizens in the driving-seat for energy efficiency renovations. It is inviting energy communities to participate in the initiative. Whether they are well-established, newly founded or still in the planning phase, all energy communities can respond to the call for participation by 31 May 2024.

The European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) is looking for talent to contribute to the success of its main programmes. Check out the Senior Financial Engineering Manager latest vacancy for the Innovation Fund.

Representatives of 39 new, groundbreaking cleantech projects met in Brussels at the Cleantech Conference on 11 April 2024. These highly innovative projects were allocated a total amount of over EUR 3.4 billion of funding following the third large scale call under the Innovation Fund.

Following the first tender of the EU renewable energy financing mechanism (RENEWFM), eight projects were awarded funding to build photovoltaic infrastructure in Finland. The project Loukkaanaro, a 20 MW ground-mounted solar park, has signed the grant agreement with CINEA. The project will be finished by 2025 and will contribute to reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 1,540 tons per year.

The EU Building Stock Observatory (BSO) has undergone its most substantial upgrade since its inception in 2016, with the new version launched last month offering an improved user interface and better data availability. With this update, the BSO, as an open-source web platform on the energy performance of buildings in the EU, has the potential to become the central data hub for Europe’s building stock.

#TRA2024 is the foremost European transport event covering all modes and aspects of mobility. Until 18 April, numerous EU-funded projects supported by CINEA are showcasing their innovations for a greener, more energy-efficient transport of the future.

During these special Info Days on the LIFE 2024 Calls for projects, we will explore how to prepare an application and what makes an excellent proposal.

Find out how the Horizon Energy funded project REScoopVPP has gathered front-runner energy communities to create the most advanced community-driven smart building ecosystem for energy communities.

The H2020-funded project REMARKABLE, supporting EU local leaders to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, has launched a podcast aiming to inspire and motivate listeners to take action in their own communities. Each episode unfolds a captivating narrative, diving into stories of climate leaders across Europe at the forefront of sustainability initiatives.

Rising climate impacts threaten Ireland’s water, energy sources, and infrastructure, notably in communities in remote areas. A LIFE project aids homeowners in retrofitting their buildings, creating partnerships, and enhancing climate resilience.

The Sustainable Mobility Infrastructures for Low Emissions and qualitative Service (SMILES) project has officially started, with the objective of supporting improvements in the transport infrastructure of the French city of Nantes. SMILES is financed by the European Union under the Public Sector Loan Facility, which is part of the Just Transition Mechanism (JTM), with a grant of EUR 30 million.

The LIFE Clean Energy Transition (CET) Programme Contractors’ meeting on Energy Communities successfully took place on 13 and 14 March 2024 in Brussels, Belgium. LIFE project representatives could exchange and identify cooperation opportunities.

A building’s ability to sense, interpret, communicate, and actively respond is known as its ‘smartness’. Intrinsically connected to energy efficiency, smart readiness is key for adapting to climate change. Discover how four LIFE projects are driving this progress.

French President Emmanuel Macron has visited Canopée, the world’s first wind-powered hybrid industrial cargo ship. The technology for the wingsails has been developed by Ayro thanks to the support of the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF), reducing fuel consumption of the ship by 30%.

The FLORA Ocean Station, funded by the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF), has received the prestigious iF DESIGN Award 2024 in the "Product / Industry" category. FLORA is a groundbreaking ocean station designed to address the pressing need for sustainable offshore wind development.

Reducing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is a critical element in the fight against climate change. This is why EU researchers have pioneered a novel method of capturing emissions and storing them underground as rock with the Horizon2020 CarbFix2 project.

As the number of electric cars increases on European roads, there is a growing interest in finding ways to recycle and reuse old car batteries. The CarBatteryReFactory project, led by FENECON and funded by the Innovation Fund, is manufacturing energy storage systems with batteries for which their initial use in electric cars has ended, but have not yet reached the end of their life cycle.