How well is the Dutch Access to Energy Fund performing? In 2004, the Dutch government committed to providing 10 million people in developing countries with modern forms of sustainable energy by the year 2015. The Access to Energy Fund (AEF) was created in cooperation with FMO (the fund manager) on the 1st of November 2006…
What indicators best measure progress towards the EU’s energy objectives? This project involved the provision of assistance to the EEA in sourcing and analysing potential indicators to monitor progress towards EU energy policy objectives. The EEA considers updating its energy indicator set to more fully cover the diverse and evolving set of objectives and make…
Three European projects are presenting a united front in Brussels during EU Green Week, 21 – 25th May 2018. ClairCity (Citizen-Led Air Pollution Reduction in Cities), iSCAPE (Improving the Smart Control of Air Pollution in Europe) and ICARUS (Integrated Climate forcing and Air pollution Reduction in Urban Systems) are hosting a joint stand in the…
Which policies can facilitate the realisation of the required investments in the electricity sector? This study was prepared at the request of the European Parliament Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE), executed in July 2016 by Trinomics, in cooperation with Oeko Institute and Aether. The paper provides an overall assessment of European investments in…
How can we potentially tackle the EU gas import dependence, to enhance security of supply? The aim of this assignment was to prepare a workshop on “EU Energy Independence, Security of Supply and Diversification of Sources”, offering a balanced picture of relevant views and opinions of professionals, target to describe and represent a geographical balance…
What is the potential of electricity demand response in the EU? The aim of this assignment was to prepare a workshop on “The potential of electricity demand response”, offering a balanced picture of relevant views and opinions of professionals which described and represented a geographical balance within the EU. This workshop was useful to review…
What is the impact of diverging transmission tariff structures in EU Member States? This study was prepared with the overall objective to support the European Commission in the impact assessment exercise concerning the new market design initiative. The study was carried out by ECN, DCision! and Trinomics, over the course of May 2017 until December…
Last week we kicked off a new project for the European Commission (DG Environment) within the topic of environmental policy. The assignment concerns a Fitness Check (evaluation) of the various directives forming the backbone of EU Freshwater Policy, including – but not limited to – the Water Framework Directive and the Floods Directive. This evaluation will result…
The European Commission recently published the first deliverable of our study on ‘Building the investment community for innovative energy projects’. The overall objective of the study is to build/strengthen the investment community for innovative energy technologies, in order to increase the volume invested. Financing is…
How well has the EU freshwater policy framework succeeded in ensuring ‘good’ freshwater? EU Freshwater Policy aims to protect our waters from the adverse impacts of pollution, waterway alterations, water scarcity and floods. Although significant progress throughout Europe has resulted in water quality improvements, significant challenges remain. Agricultural pollution, sewage system overflow and heavy metal…
Industrial symbiosis is a systems approach to a more sustainable and integrated industrial system, which identifies business opportunities that leverage underutilised resources (such as materials, energy, water, capacity, expertise, assets etc.). The comprehensive Industrial Symbiosis study that Trinomics, together…
The EU faces numerous environmental pressures. Impressive results in reducing these pressures have already been achieved, yet several challenges persist. The 7th Environmental Action Programme (7th EAP) was created to provide a framework for EU environmental policy to more effectively tackle the challenges. It also provides a vision of where the EU should be by…
This report summarises the presentation and discussions of the workshop on ‘National Strategies for Renewables: Energy Efficiency, Building Renovation and Self-consumption’. The workshop was held on 22 February 2018, hosted by the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) of the European Parliament. The aim…
How do national strategies for renewable energy sources relate to energy efficiency targets and other relevant climate and energy policies? The EU has set a range of key climate and energy targets which are aimed to be achieved. The 2030 Climate and Energy Framework set out an EU renewable energy target of 32%. Next to…
Consciously or unconsciously, the sharing economy (or collaborative economy) has provided many consumers with more and often cheaper alternatives of products and services in many sectors of the economy. During holidays we rent apartments with Airbnb, we borrow a ladder from a neighbour with Peerby, or we join a ride with a stranger to visit relatives in another city with Blablacar. Many of the collaborative economy platforms have…
Is the collaborative economy good for the environment? The emergence of the collaborative economy or sharing economy is a fascinating new trend. Emerging business models (for example, Airbnb, Uber, and Peerby) blur the distinction between private and professional services, and change the way we work, interact, and organise our lives. Pioneers and promoters of the…
How can the roll-out of green infrastructure initiatives in Europe be further enhanced? A financial and economic perspective This project focuses on expanding the knowledge base of the application of Green Infrastructure (GI) in Europe. The implementation of green infrastructure solutions is in many areas slower than the implementation of their traditional (‘grey’) alternatives due…
In October 2017, the newly elected Dutch government presented their coalition agreement. In order to meet the Paris Agreement, the government indicated that it aims to reduce the emissions by 56 Megaton by 2030 – a reduction of 49% compared to the emissions in 1990. To the surprise of some, a third of the total…
What are the options to create a successful Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS) market in the Netherlands? In order to meet the Paris Agreement, in their coalition agreement from 2017 the Dutch government indicated that it aims to reduce GHG emissions by 56 Megaton by 2030, a reduction of 49% compared to the emissions in…
What are the challenges for the energy transition in Europe and how can they be solved? In this study conducted by Trinomics a macro-level analysis was done on the energy system in Europe, to serve as an input to the energy chapter of the State Of the Environment report (SOER) 2020. The study started by…
The EU has set out to become a global leader in the fight against climate change. This is mirrored in its ambitious climate and energy targets up until 2030. By that year, GHG emissions will have to be 40% below 1990 levels, renewable energy needs to represent 27% of gross final energy consumption, and energy consumption will have to decrease by 27% in comparison to the BAU scenario. In the analytical study entitled ‘Energy and the MFF’…
How can EU funds best support the achievement of the Union’s ambitious energy and climate targets? Since the release of the ‘2020 Climate and Energy Package’ by the European Commission in 2008, the EU has continuously vowed to do their adequate share to keep global warming inside the critical 2 degrees Celsius boundary. By 2030,…
Does the 7th EAP facilitate us “living well, within the limits of our planet”? The EU has faced numerous environmental pressures over the last decades. Impressive results have already been achieved, yet several challenges persist. The 7th Environmental Action Programme (7th EAP) was created to provide an integral framework for EU environmental policy, for planning…
Trinomics has in collaboration with Technopolis group at the request of the Ex-Post Evaluation Unit of the Directorate for Impact Assessment and European Added Value, within the Directorate General for Parliamentary Research Services (DG EPRS) of the General Secretariat of the European Parliament supported the mid-term review of the…
A partnership for greener cities to increase liveability, sustainability and business opportunities GrowGreen aims to create climate and water resilient, healthy and liveable cities by investing in nature-based solutions (NBS). The GrowGreen partnership will give space to nature in urban planning and development by joining forces with cities and experts in Europe and around the…
Assessing the levels of mercury pollution in Europe and directions for improvement Mercury is a heavy metal that has negative impact on the health of natural ecosystems and human beings, if present in high concentrations. Although mercury occurs naturally in some places, it is released into the environment at an increasing through several industrial activities…
To what extent is EU support for trans-European gas infrastructure in line with the climate goals? The objective of this study was to assess to what extent ENTSOG’s Ten Year Network Development Plan (TYNDP) and the selection of EU Projects of Common Interest (PCIs) are in line with the 2030 EU Energy and Climate Framework…
What are the impacts of the nuclear fusion research megaproject ITER? Given the large investment in ITER and the very long lead time to the potential application, policy makers and the general public have a right to be informed about the short-term impact of ITER as well as about the expected mid and long-term impact.…
What is the impact of the changed legislation on the availability and the costs of emergency oil stocks in the Netherlands? In 2012, the legislation on emergency oil stock in the Netherlands was amended. A new law (the Wva 2012) was implemented to incorporate the EU Directive 2009/119/EC in the Netherlands and to increase the…
What is the impact of the changed EU Directive on the availability and the costs of emergency oil stocks across the EU? In 2016 Trinomics conducted the mid-term evaluation of Directive 2009/119/EC, which specifies the obligation of Member States to maintain a minimum amount of oil stocks for emergency situations. The evaluation concluded that the…
How resilient is the European energy system to future climate change? This project has addressed the issue of climate change adaptation and the energy system. Increases in extreme weather events, and ambient temperatures, sea level rise, changes to wind patterns and water levels and availability will each have important impacts and pose risks to the…
What is the state-of-play of climate finance tracking in Europe? The transition to a low-carbon and climate-resilient economy requires an unprecedented redirection of social and economic activities. Consequently, the investment questions – how much is needed to achieve the domestic energy and climate targets and how will this be financed – represent some of the…
What – Stakeholder Workshop during European Vocational Skills Week 2017 Topic – Taking stock of the European BUILD UP Skills initiative and looking forward Is it for you? If you are a construction industry professional, or a VET professional, or you are simply interested in energy efficiency building (skills), this workshop is for you Date…
How fit for purpose is the EU chemicals legislation and how can this be improved? Chemicals touch upon almost every aspect of our modern lives. As a result the EU has developed a comprehensive regulatory framework to address the risks to human health and the environment, to facilitate trade and support the chemical industry. Yet…
Is the EU Adaptation Strategy meeting its objectives? Climate change will have a range of impacts upon the EU which require action to increase resilience and adapt to the new normal. In 2013 the EU launched its Adaptation Strategy where it set out three key objectives, namely to: (1) promote action by the Member States;…
The EEA has published a briefing ‘Releases of pollutants to the environment from Europe’s industrial sector’ based on the report ‘Transforming the EU power sector: avoiding a carbon lock-in‘ which was prepared with support from Trinomics. The EEA’s briefing analyses emissions from the largest industrial facilities (including power plants, petrochemical refineries and metal processing plants) which report…
Report: Transmission tariffs and congestion income ( ) The European Commission’s DG ENER has recently published its study supporting the impact assessment concerning transmission tariffs and congestion income policies. This study, carried out by ECN, DCision! and Trinomics, examines the impact of diverging transmission tariff structures in EU member States and outlines potential policy options…
Report: AssessmentofPV (878 KB) The European Commission, DG RTD, has published the final report of Trinomics’ study on potential strategies to rebuild EU manufacturing capacities for solar PV. The study has been performed in collaboration with DNV GL, JIIP, PWC, Ricardo Energy & Environment, Tecnalia, and VTT. This final report provides a concise overview of…
Report: State-of-play of European climate finance tracking (published 6 July 2017) ( ) This Trinomics report has been prepared to underpin the European Environment Agency’s briefing on ‘Financing Europe’s low carbon, climate resilient future‘. The study report Trinomics prepared for the EEA presents the findings of a first Europe-wide stocktaking exercise to assess the current status of climate…
How can we advance industrial symbiosis in Europe? Industrial symbiosis (IS) is a systems approach to a more sustainable and integrated industrial system, which identifies business opportunities that leverage underutilised resources (such as materials, energy, water, capacity, expertise etc). It involves organisations operating in different sectors of activity that engage in mutually beneficial transactions to…
The EIB report on Access-to-Finance Conditions for Investments in Bio-Based Industries and the Blue Economy was published on 31 May 2017. This report is based on a study carried out by EY with the support of Trinomics. Trinomics carried out desk research, data collection and interviews with project promoters in the Blue Economy in Europe. The study…
Assessing the viability and required steps to realise a new district heating network in Arnhem The City of Arnhem was investigating the possibility of a major new heat pipeline (backbone infrastructure project) to bring heat to new parts of the city. Alliander and Nuon were the commercial partners, but they asked us in the first…
How does consumer behaviour affect the transition to a Circular Economy? The European Commission has been supporting the transition to a Circular Economy for some time, for example by adopting the comprehensive Circular Economy Action Plan in 2015. Many policy measures taken to date have, however, solely focused on stimulating circular solutions from a production…
How can EMAS be improved? In 1993 the European Commission developed the EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS). Since then, many companies and other organisations in the EU adopted environmental management systems, including EMAS, but also ISO14001 and other systems. However, there is large variation among Member States in the uptake of EMAS. The goal of this study was…
What are the European energy technology dependencies, and how can those be measured? This study will be the first to assess dependence on energy technology in Europe. The objective is to better understand the dependence of the EU on energy technologies and to specifically consider its impacts on the security of energy supply and on…
A thorough review of the Regulation EU 347/2013 concerning trans-European energy networks The Trans-European Energy Networks (TEN-E) regulation identifies priority corridors and thematic areas of trans-European energy infrastructure and provides guidelines for the selection of Projects of Common Interest (PCIs). The main objective of this assignment was to provide an independent evaluation of the TEN-E…
Evaluation of primary energy factor calculation options for electricity The European Commission has set the target in the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) DIRECTIVE 2012/27/EU to reduce EU primary energy consumption in 2020 by 20% in comparison to given baseline development. Because the target is defined on primary energy level, the primary energy factor (PEF) that…
Topic of this discussion paper, that Trinomics has written for the Dutch technology research centre TNO, are the Dutch-German energy relations. Until now, these are very asymmetric and mainly based on the export of Dutch gas and the transit of coal and petroleum products via the Dutch harbours to Germany. However, this might change drastically…
The transition towards a circular economy has been set in motion. National policy frameworks are being developed and the European Union adopted the Circular Economy Package in December 2015. The Circular Economy has the potential to reduce the environmental impacts of the European economy and reduce the risks of price and supply shocks of imported…
The European Parliament’s ITRE Committee has published the study on European Energy Industry Investments prepared by Trinomics in cooperation with Oeko Institute and Aether. The paper provides an overall assessment of European investments in the electricity sector. It concludes by…
Nowadays, we share do-it-yourself equipment with neighbours we met via a smartphone app, rent out our houses to strangers via an online platform or share a ride to work with a stranger who is heading in the same direction. And we do so increasingly more. With the rise of online platforms, the collaborative has seen…
Report: Fitness Check workshop – draft agenda (45 KB) As part of its Better Regulation agenda, the European Commission is conducting a Fitness Check of selected chemicals legislation (excluding REACH) as part of the REFIT programme. The evidence and data gathering for this Fitness Check is supported by a number of studies including a…
The eleven detailed city case studies on financial models for implementing urban adaptation measures that Trinomics and its partners Arcadis and TNO have developed under a recent project for the European Environment Agency (published here) have been integrated in the new European Environment Agency report on ‘Financing urban adaptation to climate change’. This report offers…
Will the circular economy create or destroy jobs? The transition towards a circular economy has been set in motion. National policy frameworks are being developed and the European Commission adopted the Circular Economy Package in December 2015. By 2018, several actions mentioned in this package have been adopted or initiated. Policymakers, industry and – increasingly –…
Responding to Europe’s two carbon challenges Europe faces two carbon challenges: it needs to curb carbon emissions to mitigate climate change, and at the same time it needs new carbon-based resources for its process industries. The process industry sector is currently still dependent on fossil fuel imports, and is one of the biggest emitters of…
Handbook on accessing climate finance for the ENPI South region Climatekos and Trinomics have written a handbook to support countries in the South region of the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI) in accessing climate finance. The handbook, with the title “Accessing climate finance: A step-by-step approach for practitioners”, was released in a joint EIB/ClimaSouth…
Today, the European Environment Agency released the ‘Climate Change, Impacts and Vulnerability 2016’ report. The report assesses the latest trends and projections on climate change and its impacts across Europe. In a nutshell, climate change poses increasingly severe risks for ecosystems, human health and the economy in Europe. One of the main conclusions is that…
The emergence of the collaborative economy is a fascinating new trend. Emerging disruptive business models blur the distinction between personal and professional and change the way we work, we interact and organise our lives. Pioneers and promoters of the sharing (or collaborative) economy were quick to stress the advantages, allegedly including lower consumer prices, more…
The EEA have published a report and 29 detailed briefings which describe progress against the priority objectives of the 7th EAP. Trinomics, along with a number of sub–contractors had a major role in selecting the data and then drafting and collating the text and information in these briefings. They are grouped under three themes, in…
The 2015 Paris Agreement has set an unprecedented worldwide agreement to tackle greenhouse gas emissions to limit the rate of global warming (mitigation), as well as at the same time to take measures that help prepare for current and future climate change impacts (adaptation). Both of these elements require unparalleled redirection of investments. Recognizing this,…
