With the EU’s clean energy package and the Paris Agreement in place, the focus is now on their implementation. EU Member States’ 2030 National Energy and Climate Plans and the 2050 long-term strategies under the Paris Agreement aim to identify pathways to reach the agreed climate goals. Research and innovation, new technologies and improvements to existing ones are essential to a swift and profound transition towards a carbon neutral economy.

The European Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET-Plan) was established to accelerate the transformation of the European energy system and to bring new low-carbon energy technologies to market. It identifies actions for research and innovation throughout the whole innovation chain. SET-Plan conferences offer an opportunity for decision-makers, researchers and stakeholders to get together and evaluate the progress made towards achieving the SET-Plan’s goals.

The 13th SET-Plan Conference, organised under the auspices of Finland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union,  focused on the interplay of the different parts of the energy system. It identifed ways to decarbonise sectors for which electrification is not a short-term solution. Sessions addressed, among others, the decarbonisation of industry, sector coupling and developments in renewable energy. Financing of low-carbon technologies, nuclear innovation and the role of women in clean energy were also discussed.

For more information: www.setplan2019.fi