http://www.ecn.nl/ News and press releases en TYPO3 - get.content.right http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:48:00 +0100 http://www.ecn.nl/news/item/date/2012/02/03/new-direction-of-ecn-with-and-for-the-market/ Today, Friday 3 February, the complete Board of Directors presented ECN’s new strategy plan 2012-2015 to Mark Dierikx, Director General for Energy, Telecom and Competition of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation (EL&I). Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:48:00 +0100 http://www.ecn.nl/news/item/date/2012/01/18/practical-and-tailored-information-can-increase-the-impact-of-the-energy-label/ The impact that the energy label has on homeowners decisions to buy and renovate dwellings is currently limited. However, more tailored information can help increase the impact of energy labels. Households need practical and tailored information about energy saving in their own dwelling. This is the outcome of a European study led by ECN. Questionnaires and interviews were held in ten countries to find out what kind of impact the energy label for dwellings has on the decisions made by... Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:17:00 +0100 http://www.ecn.nl/news/item/date/2011/12/07/european-cooperation-in-energy-research-pays-off/ By cooperating, energy research organisations in Europe are able to accelerate the development of low-carbon technologies. The organisations have joined forces in the European Energy Research Alliance (EERA) and align their activities in Joint Programmes of research. This reduces the duplication of research activities across Europe, working towards reaching Europe’s ambitious climate and energy goals effectively and efficiently. EERA now involves more than 2,000 researchers from over 150... Wed, 07 Dec 2011 13:17:00 +0100 http://www.ecn.nl/news/item/date/2011/12/07/low-carbon-development-strategies-readiness-varies-amongst-countries/ Low-carbon development strategies have attracted interest in the climate negotiations as a soft alternative to voluntary or obligatory national greenhouse gas emission reduction targets - especially for developing countries. Several countries have embarked on drafting an LCDS. A recent Energy research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN) study explores two questions related to LCDS. First, what are the prerequisites for developing an effective LCDS, and what can a country do if these are not fully... Wed, 07 Dec 2011 09:28:00 +0100 http://www.ecn.nl/news/item/date/2011/11/29/improved-european-observation-network-supports-effective-climate-policy/ To provide an independent assessment whether European climate policy is effective, it is essential to monitor concentrations and fluxes of non-CO2 greenhouse gases accurately. A crucial component in doing so is a precise and reliable measuring infrastructure. As of this week, the Energy research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN) will be coordinating 34 institutes in a joint effort to monitor the emissions of methane, nitrous oxide and other non-CO2 greenhouse gases and to improve the... Tue, 29 Nov 2011 13:38:00 +0100 http://www.ecn.nl/news/item/date/2011/10/24/large-saving-on-energy-bill-of-households-is-feasible/ Tailored policy is needed Four out of five households will profit from implementing one or more energy saving measures in their homes. On average this could save 22 percent on the energy bill. In practise, however, there appear to be large differences among households. Particularly the individual heating behaviour of households will determine whether or not an investment is profitable. This is the outcome of analyses conducted by the Energy research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN) on the cost... Mon, 24 Oct 2011 15:55:00 +0200 http://www.ecn.nl/news/item/date/2011/10/12/ccs-in-dutch-industry-globally-highly-recommended/ Carbon capture and storage (CCS), a technology for reducing climate change inducing CO2 emissions, is mostly associated with coal-fired plants. However, CO2 can also be captured in industrial applications, for example in the chemical industry, the steel industry and refineries. In fact, in these industrial applications, CO2 capture is often cheaper, easier and more essential. This has been confirmed by a global study in which the Energy research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN) has played a... Wed, 12 Oct 2011 11:47:00 +0200 http://www.ecn.nl/news/item/date/2011/09/05/wim-sinke-honoured-with-prestigious-award-for-outstanding-merits-in-pv/ On 5 September, Prof. Dr. Wim Sinke, senior Staff member Programme & Strategy Solar Energy at the Energy research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN), received the prestigious “Becquerel Prize” at the 26th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition in Hamburg, Germany. The European PV community honoured Wim Sinke for his life’s work in the field of photovoltaics. Mon, 05 Sep 2011 17:43:00 +0200 http://www.ecn.nl/news/item/date/2011/06/22/climate-adaptation-of-electricity-sector-could-cost-europe-15-19-billion-per-year/ A recent study by Ecorys, in consortium with Energy research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN) and Nuclear Research and consultancy Group (NRG),for the European Commission shows that in order to ‘climate proof’ the European electricity sector, investments between €15 and €19 billion per year could be required. These investments are needed to safeguard electricity generation facilities and infrastructure against the harmful effects of climate change like rising temperatures and water levels. Wed, 22 Jun 2011 12:15:00 +0200 http://www.ecn.nl/news/item/date/2011/06/15/involvement-in-ccs-projects-explained/ With the title "Communication strategies and the involvement of stakeholders in CCS projects: NEARCO2 results of the European project" a workshop will be organised in London and Madrid in June. Wed, 15 Jun 2011 14:23:00 +0200 http://www.ecn.nl/news/item/date/2011/04/22/expectations-about-use-of-electric-cars-differ-across-europe/ Compared to other Europeans, the Dutch sometimes have different needs when it comes to charging electric cars. That is the outcome of a study on the preferences of Europeans with regard to charging of electric cars, conducted by the Energy research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN) in the framework of the European research project Grid4Vehicles. Consumers from eight different countries were asked to fill out an online questionnaire on how, where and under which conditions they would like to... Fri, 22 Apr 2011 11:12:00 +0200 http://www.ecn.nl/news/item/date/2011/04/08/the-eera-1000-researchers-are-currently-working-on-the-development-of-next-generation-energy-techno/ A total of more than 1000 researchers coming from more than 70 major European research institutes in the field of energy are involved in the different EERA Joint Programmes. These scientists are working to accelerate the delivery to industry of a new generation of energy technologies to contribute to achieving the 20-20-20 targets. For Europe, this is an unprecedented cooperation in the area of strategic energy research that will accelerate the development of energy technologies, give... Fri, 08 Apr 2011 12:22:00 +0200 http://www.ecn.nl/news/item/date/2011/04/06/europe-wide-green-emotion-initiative-to-pave-the-way-for-electromobility/ The European Commission has kicked off a 4 year cross-European initiative to promote electromobility. The 42 partners in the initiative comprising industrial companies and automobile manufacturers, utilities, municipalities, universities, and technology and research institutions are to input, exchange and expand their know-how and experience in selected regions within Europe. “Electromobility will make an important contribution toward reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Green eMotion is intended... Wed, 06 Apr 2011 09:59:00 +0200 http://www.ecn.nl/news/item/date/2011/03/23/new-european-project-helps-eu-meet-its-renewable-energy-targets-at-lower-cumulative-costs/ The project “Cost-efficient and sustainable deployment of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) towards the EU 20% target by 2020, and beyond (RES4LESS)” was approved by the EU Programme Intelligent Energy Europe and has officially kicked-off in January 2011. Wed, 23 Mar 2011 14:22:00 +0100 http://www.ecn.nl/news/item/date/2011/03/18/ecn-response-to-incidents-in-japan/ In the light of the incidents in Japan, ECN and NRG, ECN’s daughter company, are currently busy providing all media and other interested parties with information about nuclear energy and radiation. ECN’s involvement entails (research on) nuclear energy in relation to the total fuel mix. Fri, 18 Mar 2011 10:33:00 +0100 http://www.ecn.nl/news/item/date/2011/02/22/renewable-energy-share-in-european-union-increased-to-116-in-2009/ The new EurObserv'ER report "The state of renewable energy in Europe" presents an estimate for the share of renewable energy in overall energy consumption in Europe. This share is estimated at 11.6% for 2009, compared to 10.4% in 2008. EurObserv'ER is a cooperation body of experts in the field of renewable energy that reports at national and European level, in support of European policy. Tue, 22 Feb 2011 15:31:00 +0100 http://www.ecn.nl/news/item/date/2011/02/09/the-cooperation-in-eera-should-lead-to-an-accelerated-development-of-pv-technology/ Kick-off EERA-PV - On Monday 7 February the kick-off meeting of EERA-PV took place in Amsterdam with 50 participants from 23 European research institutes and universities. Wed, 09 Feb 2011 11:19:00 +0100 http://www.ecn.nl/news/item/date/2011/02/03/ecn-report-on-renewable-energy-action-plans-of-all-27-european-member-states/ On 31 January 2011, the European Commission presented its ‘Communication on the progress of renewable energy in the European Union’. Among others it shows that the 2020 renewable energy policy goals are likely to be met and even exceeded if Member States fully implement their National Renewable Energy Action Plans (NREAPs). The Energy research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN) compiled a database and data report on the NREAPs, commissioned by the European Environment Agency (EEA). This report has... Thu, 03 Feb 2011 15:22:00 +0100 http://www.ecn.nl/news/item/date/2011/01/31/energy-saving-among-consumers/ Difficult but doable In the framework of the Changing Behaviour project, the Energy research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN) developed a toolkit to enhance the success of energy saving programmes among consumers. Currently, such programmes seldom lead to permanent savings. The toolkit contains a step-by-step plan, practical checklists, illustrative examples and much background information for managers of energy saving projects. A second result of the research project is a list of... Mon, 31 Jan 2011 10:21:00 +0100 http://www.ecn.nl/news/item/date/2011/01/24/renewable-energy-provided-in-2009-for-the-first-time-in-excess-of-10000-direct-jobs/ In the framework of the EU project EurObserv’ER, Energy research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN) analysed the turnover and employment of renewable energy companies in the Netherlands. Mon, 24 Jan 2011 14:38:00 +0100