Insight-E

An Energy think tank informing the European Commission.

Innovation Corner

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The Observatory focuses on

Disruptive Energy technologies

It assesses their technical specificities, their market penetration and how they can contribute to energy transition.

Technology notes are drafted by INSIGHT_E experts as part as their contribution to the INSIGHT_E Observatory. They represent their views and are a resource of the INSIGHT_E Energy Observatory. They inform the work and provide input to the formal, peer-reviewed INSIGHT_E publications (Rapid Response Energy Briefs, Policy Reports, and Hot Energy Topic reports).

  • Technology note 2: ETS and Market Stability Reserve

    May 10, 2016

    The European Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), in place since 2005, represents one of the main instruments of the European Union policies’ mix to reduce its GHG emissions; it has been revised and extended in Directive 2009/29/EC.

     

    The EU ETS is a market-based instrument which sets a binding limit to the emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) in countries of the European Economic Area (EEA): the EU-28 Member States as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. The objective of the EU ETS, combined with other measures or policies (e.g. taxes, efficiency standards, regulations), is to support the European Union in reaching its GHG reduction commitments in a cost-effective manner: a 20% reduction by 2020, in line with its Kyoto commitments, a 40% reduction by 2030, and a 80% to 95% emissions’ reduction by 2050.

     

    By involving large GHG emitters in the mitigation of their GHG emissions, the EU ETS is designed to provide an incentive to invest in low carbon technologies, hence playing a key role in promoting decarbonisation in the different economic sectors considered.

    How does it work?
    What is the ETS scope? 
    How does the Market Stability Reserve work?

     

    Download our technology note no. 2 on the topic

     

     

     

  • Technology note 1: Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)

    February 20, 2015

    Carbon dioxide Capture and Storage (CCS) refers to a set of technologies which can be installed for the reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in power generation and industrial processes. The process consists of the separation of CO2 from large industrial and energy-related point sources, subsequent compression, transportation to a storage location and long-term isolation (i.e. storage) from the atmosphere. CO2 can be stored in geological formations (e.g. oil and gas fields, unminable coal beds and deep saline aquifers), in the ocean (direct release into the ocean water column or close to the deep seafloor) and via industrial fixation in inorganic carbonates. Alternatively, CO2 can also be used as an input to other industrial processes.

     

    How does it work? 

    How mature is it?

    What are the impacts?

     

    Download our technology note no. 1 on the topic.