Ember’s four key asks for the new EU Energy Commissioner
With the new EU Energy Commissioner appointed, it’s time to demand bold action.
In an increasingly fractured world, policy-makers and investors require reliable, transparent data to make informed and cost-effective decisions, and instil trust in both the process and outcomes. Open data ensures accountability and enforceability because “only what gets measured gets done”. Monitoring data on key infrastructure bottlenecks guides effective policy actions.
ACTION: In the first 100 days, the Commissioner initiates the transition to open energy data and system models to guide urgent and critical investment and policy decisions. This could entail the creation of a new Agency or assigning new responsibilities to existing EU bodies to:
- Adopt a coordinated approach across the EU to asset registration for higher and timely visibility of renewable, storage and flexibility assets;
- Ensure Eurostat and EU bodies that maintain data transparency platforms (such as ACER or ENTSO-E) gather, standardise and disclose additional, granular energy data in a more timely and consistent manner, using open data standards. Key data concerns: capacity and utilisation of storage and demand side flexibility, grid capacities and connection queues, renewable curtailment, renewable and grid infrastructure permitting times;
- Ensure the Commission makes available in a consistent and regular manner energy and climate data from NECPs, NECP progress reports and other national planning documents, as well as its own impact assessments;
- Create a roadmap for EU institutions to transition from proprietary energy system models to open source models fit for an electrified energy system with high shares of renewables and wider deployment of clean flexibility. Such models should be used for impact assessments of new policies and system planning.
Supporting Material
Acknowledgements
Wind turbines and electricity pylons in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Credit: Rupert Oberhäuser / Alamy Stock Photo
Our recommendations focus on key enablers for the decarbonisation of the EU economy, which is essential to drive down energy prices and bolster security through lowered dependence on imported fossil fuels, thus strengthening the EU’s geopolitical position on the global stage. We consider existing policy and identify four critical actions for the Energy Commissioner aligned with the political priorities for the next mandate.
Click here to download a one-pager summary of our recommendations