sEEnergies

sEEnergies is a European Horizon2020 project coming to its end and accomplishing its overall aim to quantify and operationalise the potential for energy efficiency in buildings, transport, and industry, considering all aspects of the Energy Efficiency First Principle. 

The Energy efficiency first principle is the acknowledgement that Europe’s biggest domestic energy source is energy efficiency. It was first included in the European Commission’s Energy Union Strategy. It has since become a fundamental principle applied to policy making, planning, and investment in the energy sector, which is gaining visibility in the European energy and climate policy.

As a response to the European Commission’s 2050 decarbonization goals, sEEnergies went beyond state-of-the-art science-based knowledge and methods and combined sectorial bottom-up knowledge with hour-by-hour modelling of the energy systems and spatial analysis in the EU. To reach its objectives and provide the highest quality research, sEEnergies was implemented by a team of top scientific institutions around Europe and two SMEs who brought in communication and commercial perspectives.

As changes in one energy sector can cause impacts in another sector, it is only possible to have a comprehensive assessment and quantification of the EEFP policy’s impacts by looking at the energy systems from a holistic perspective and taking into consideration the synergies between sectors. SEEnergies uncovered the supply chain effects of the EEFP in 28 countries.

Together, transport, buildings, and industry account for up to 95% of the final energy demand, which is why they were the main focus sectors of sEEnergies. The sEEnergies team assessed the energy-related impact of the Energy Efficiency First Principle in the sector and energy system levels as well as the additional impact of energy efficiency measures and their impact on markets. All sectors were integrated into energy system analyses to understand energy efficiency and supply chain effects in the European Commission decarbonised scenarios reaching the Paris Agreement as well as a fully renewable energy system. All datasets and analysis results are being integrated into an online GIS visualization platform to make the Energy efficiency first principle more concrete about energy demand and supply and thus provide tangible recommendations and training to policymakers, decision-makers, energy consultants, and urban planners.

As transport accounts for about 30% of the final energy consumption, it represents the first of three foci in sEEnergies. Here, the research team provided specific results on:

• Holistic assessment of EE potentials by analysing strategies for more efficient vehicles, modal shift, and transport demand measures.
• Use of state-of-the-art mobility and technology knowledge combined with GIS spatial analyses.
• scenarios for development in mobility and transport using EE, electrification, and new technologies.

Buildings, the next focus point, account for 40-50% of the overall consumption for electricity, heating, and cooling. sEEnergies looked into:

• EE potentials in the building envelope and electricity savings considering the cost aspects of refurbishment measures.
• Balances between onsite EE measures with end savings and savings in the supply systems.
• Energy saving and EE cost data for the built environment for member states based on detailed building-level data.

Industry, which accounts for 25% of final energy demand in the EU is the third focus of sEEnergies. Here, the team provided specific results on:

• Quantification of industrial EE potentials in all industry sub-sectors and member states.
• Determine EE potential from industrial excess heat at a sub-sector level.
• Scenarios for the industry where each sub-sector can be analysed in-depth considering EE potentials and potential structural industrial changes.

All data and analysis results are being integrated into an online GIS visualization platform to make the Energy efficiency first principle more concrete about energy demand and supply and thus provide tangible recommendations and training to policymakers, decision-makers, energy consultants, and urban planners.

Links

https://www.seenergies.eu/

Keywords

Energy efficiency, energy-saving potentials, Europe, road pricing, scenarios, transportation infrastructure development, urban spatial development, vehicle technologies