A roadmap to energy efficiency – and independence Using the ‘energy efficiency first’ principle, the EU-funded sEEnergies project has developed a roadmap for achieving the twin goals of climate neutrality and energy sovereignty. Energy © Mr. Kosal/Shutterstock.com The path towards achieving carbon neutrality and energy sovereignty must go through energy efficiency. “If Europe is to achieve any of its energy goals, be it reducing carbon emissions or decreasing its dependence on foreign fuel, it must make energy efficiency a priority,” says Iva Ridjan Skov, associate professor in the Sustainable Energy Planning Research Group at Aalborg University. “You simply cannot have one without the other.” This is the thinking behind what is called the energy efficiency first principle. “The principle views energy efficiency as a form of fuel,” explains Skov. “It is the acknowledgment that Europe’s biggest domestic energy source is not fossil fuels or renewables but energy efficiency.” Energy efficiency as a fuel? Think of it this way. An energy-efficient building or car uses less fuel. Thus, the more efficient the building or car, the more energy saved, and more energy saved means less energy produced – showing why energy efficiency should be included as a first fuel within the energy mix. But getting here requires that the energy efficiency first principle be applied to all policymaking, planning and investments in the energy sector, which is easier said than done. Luckily, the EU-funded sEEnergies project has a plan, or, in this case, a map. Quantifying energy efficiency’s full potential According to Skov, who was part of the project coordination team, the sEEnergies goal was to quantify and operationalise energy efficiency’s potential within buildings, transport and industry. “To do this, we combined bottom-up thinking with temporal and spatial analysis to create an innovative, holistic and research-based approach to energy efficiency modelling,” she says. The outcome of this modelling is an energy efficiency roadmap for all EU Member States plus the United Kingdom. The roadmap is based on an assessment of the energy efficiency first principle within the context of current energy systems, as well as a transition towards a cost‐effective, 100 % renewable energy system by 2050. “The roadmap presents a path that enables short‐term energy security by phasing out import dependency on Russian natural gas in 2030, while still enabling us to achieve 100 % renewable energy by 2050,” adds Skov. In addition to learning about several possible energy efficiency scenarios, the roadmap also includes an investment strategy highlighting which investments need to be prioritised to achieve both the short‐term security and long‐term decarbonisation goals. Aligned with the REPowerEU initiative According to Skov, the sEEnergies roadmap will play a big part in the REPowerEU initiative, which aims to rapidly reduce dependence on Russian fossil fuels and fast-forward the green transition. “To ensure the roadmap best serves this policy goal, we aligned our energy efficiency targets and recommendations with those of the REPowerEU initiative’s recommendations of 966 Mtoe of primary and 776 Mtoe of final energy consumption,” she notes. Holistic energy efficiency decisions The sEEnergies project succeeded at providing the tools and information policymakers need to implement holistic energy efficiency decisions, all of which remain available via the project website. “We assessed the energy-related impact of the energy first principle at the sector and energy system levels, as well as the additional impact of energy efficiency measures and their impact on markets,” concludes Skov. “By integrating all sectors into our energy system analyses, policymakers now have a clear path forward to achieving the twin goals of climate neutrality and energy sovereignty.” Keywords sEEnergies, climate neutrality, energy sovereignty, energy efficiency, energy efficiency first principle, energy, renewable energy, REPowerEU
