The European energy sector is undergoing a period of rapid transformation away from fossil dependency. Power generation has become progressively more decarbonised, distributed and renewable. Wind power and solar photovoltaics have been part of this trend and will continue to dominate in the future, although other options such as hydrogen are considered to decarbonise hard-to-electrify sectors such as heavy industrial processes, aviation and maritime transport. As the renewable sources increase in market share, so will the volatility of the supply side of the power system. In parallel, power systems are increasingly digitalised and interconnected with other sectors and infrastructure. Information Communication Technologies (ICT) have opened new possibilities in the active management of power systems and strengthened the ability of the demand side to react to changes to the price of electricity. Standards offer the technical foundation for this transition. Our goal is to ensure a clean, smart and secure energy system.
Earlier this year, eight cities in the Belgian region of Flanders signed a manifesto committing to fossil-free heating in all homes by 2050. Citizens will be encouraged to join heat networks or install heat pumps, among other zero-emission solutions, contributing to the phase-out of natural gas and fossil fuels. Angelos Koutsis, energy policy officer at the Belgian NGO Bond Beter Leefmilieu, explains how this action came to life.
Batteries are crucial both for the energy transition and clean transport. However, clear rules need to be set right at the outset of this revolution, so that batteries do not damage our environment. In Europe, policymakers and members of the standardisation community are deciding on the rules that should mitigate the impact of these products. The latest legislative proposal put on the table by the European Commission might be hard to follow – but not with our EU Battery Regulation cheat sheet here below.
2021 will see the publication of two new standards essential for smart charging. Under the cryptic names ‘ISO 15118-20’ and ‘EN 50491-12’, hide the vehicle-to-grid (V2G) standard and the Customer Energy Management (CEM) standard. Both are set to boost the deployment of smart charging infrastructures, affecting the daily lives of millions of people across the world.
Environmental groups call for a more ambitious target for renewable energy in the Renewable Energy Directive in order to achieve the Paris Agreement’s objective to limit temperature rise to 1.5°C.
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