A Comprehensive, Integrated Research, Innovation, and Competitiveness Strategy for the Energy Union

EASE submitted a response to DG Research and Innovation’s public consultation on the development of a comprehensive, integrated Research, Innovation, and Competitiveness Strategy for the Energy Union.

Key messages

EASE fully supports the development of an Integrated Energy Union Research, Innovation and Competitiveness Strategy which ensures that research and innovation efforts contribute to making Europe the world's leader in renewables & low-carbon technologies and solutions while maintaining a competitive industrial base.

One of the most urgent challenges for research and innovation to support the low-carbon transformation is achieving the full deployment of Energy Storage. The development of innovative technologies that increase storage capacity and performance should be encouraged.

Support to research and innovation should be driven by a careful assessment of which technologies provide the largest overall benefits in terms of decarbonising the energy system. Renewable subsidies for mature technologies should be eliminated and non-discriminatory access to technologies which can facilitate the economic growth of renewables (such as Energy Storage) should be facilitated through market-based regulation.

However, support to research and innovation will not in itself lead to the full deployment of available technologies. Research and innovation efforts must be complemented by steps to tear down regulatory barriers to allow for the use of valuable and innovative technologies.

One of the priority measures to ensure that citizens support the transition to a low-carbon economy is to establish electricity retail tariffs that properly reward consumer behaviour and encourage the deployment of small-scale renewable energy sources and Energy Storage technologies.