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Policy brief: Energy sector integration
(EurActiv, 5 Jun 2020) “Sector coupling” is the new energy buzzword in town. In essence, it means bringing energy supply closer to large consuming sectors such as transport, buildings and industry in search of more renewables, greater efficiency, and lower carbon emissions.
With its European Green Deal, tabled in December 2019, the Europe Commission has set out a wide range of policy initiatives to make Europe climate-neutral by 2050.
Among those is “the smart integration of renewables, energy efficiency and other sustainable solutions across sectors” which, according to the Green Deal, “will help to achieve decarbonisation at the lowest possible cost”.
The notion of “energy system integration” is mentioned only once in the Green Deal. But the concept has already reached buzzword-status and is often used interchangeably with other expressions such as “smart sector integration” or “sector coupling”.
Put simply, it means bringing together the electricity and gas sectors on the energy supply side and linking them with major energy consuming sectors on the demand side – such as transport, buildings, households, industry and agriculture.
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EurActiv, 5 Jun 2020: Policy brief: Energy sector integration
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