Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda for Renewable ... - EGEC

10Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda for Renewable Heating & CoolingConcluding remarksRenewableHeating & CoolingEuropean Technology PlatformReliable, affordable and sustainable energy supply is fundamental to the functioningof modern society, to the quality of life of people and to the economic growth of Europe. Theuse of renewable energy sources for residential, non-residential and industrialheating and cooling applications is the most effective way to achieve emission reductions andto improve energy security.This Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda responds to the need for a detailedanalysis of the priorities for Renewable Heating and Cooling technology to take centre stagein the EU energy policy and achieve higher levels of market penetration by 2020and beyond. Specific objectives and measurable targets are identified for each research andinnovation priority. The technology-specific targets are mostly expressed in termsof cost reduction and/or efficiency gain; however the implementation of the RHC-SRA inits entirety requires a systemic approach to produce innovative integrated solutions.Stakeholders of the RHC-Platform are taking active part in the SET-Plan initiative on SmartCities and Communities which promises to effectively support the development of theintegrated RHC solutions which are sought by civil society. The success of the Smart CitiesInitiative depends on the energy portfolio that will be created, which in turn needs to relyon careful urban planning. The adoption of relevant energy efficiency measures shouldgo hand-in-hand with the demonstration of new renewable heating and cooling projects.With the RHC-SRA, a comprehensive strategy has been put forward to support thedecarbonisation of the heating and cooling sector in the EU and to provide a frameworkfor the European RHC stakeholders to emerge strengthened from the current economicdownturn. Research and innovation are placed at the heart of the RHC-Platform’s agendaas our industry competitiveness and ability to create new jobs depends on the capacityto further reduce costs and to improve the quality of energy applications and services.Raising the public-private expenditure for RHC research to the average annuallevel close to 0.6 billion Euro is crucial to achieve the full RHC industry potential. To thisend, support is required at the EU level through different funding instruments, first andforemost HORIZON 2020 which should dedicate to RHC R&D the attention and resourcesthe sector deserves.Private investors look for the right signals today – from the EU and national governments – tomake Europe a competitive and renewable energy economy by 2050. Filling the EU vacuumof climate and energy policies for the period 2020-2030 is essential in order to reduce bothregulatory risk and investors’ uncertainty. Ambitious and binding renewable energy targetsfor 2030 are needed to ensure a stable and positive investment climate across the EU.Renewable heating and cooling can provide an important contribution to major societalchallenges, such as climate change, security of supply and energy efficiency. Today wemanage to produce 14% of energy for heating and cooling from RES. But the potentialis vaster: RHC technology could satisfy a quarter of EU consumption by 2020. If we are toachieve our ambitions of decarbonisation and market growth, now is the time to worktowards the effective implementation of the RHC-SRA.At the time of publishing, the RHC-Platform is working on the production of a TechnologyRoadmap for Renewable Heating and Cooling. The Implementation Plan will rely on the informationprovided in the present publication to propose a set of research, development anddemonstration projects for the period 2014-2020.89