Revisiting strategic energy technologies
European Commissioners, representatives of national ministries and experts from all EU Member States gathered in Dublin, Ireland to discuss the future role that energy research could play in minimising Europe's dependency on oil and gas. The sixth SET-Plan Conference focused on the market roll-out of new sustainable energy technologies. The then European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, Maire Geoghegan-Quinn, opened the conference by highlighting that the new EU research and innovation programme, Horizon 2020, makes it easier to participate in EU-funded projects. She also stressed that secure, clean and efficient energy is one of the main challenges to be addressed under Horizon 2020. Organised through the SET_IRELAND project, the SET-Plan Conference offered the opportunity for then European Commissioner for Energy Gunther H. Oettinger to present the Communication on energy technologies and innovation that had just been adopted. A key message of the Communication is the need to strengthen the SET-Plan monitoring system across all stages of the research cycle. The discussions that followed affirmed the common need for a European roadmap that will set priorities for sustainable energy research. Successful examples of joint actions across Member States were presented, and a clear wish to continue on this collaboration path was expressed. A recurrent theme throughout the two-day conference was the call for closer collaboration with industries to increase the market penetration of energy innovation. The conference took place on 7 and 8 May 2013 under Ireland's Presidency of the EU.
Keywords
Energy technology, energy research, oil, gas, Horizon 2020