The European Commission should extend the principle of energy efficiency to the entire energy value chain and to all end uses, stresses the draft own-initiative report by French MEP Christophe Grudler (Renew Europe), published on Wednesday 11 November, on the EU strategy for the integration of energy systems.
Although this strategy, unveiled by the Commission on 8 July (see EUROPE 12523/2), marks a further step in the efficiency of energy networks, it could go further in terms of optimising infrastructure, the rapporteur believes.
In his view, the strategy does not, for example, place enough emphasis on the potential for circularity and reuse of waste, energy and waste heat from industrial processes, buildings and data centres.
“Waste heat emitted by our industries or data centres should be able to be repurposed, for example by storing it or reinjecting it into heating systems”, says the draft report.
Mr Grudler also wants the Commission to explore ways of further encouraging the development of a European market for flexible demand.
Finally, the draft report calls on the Commission to extend the system of guarantees of origin, provided for in the Directive (2018/2001) on renewable energy (RED II), to low carbon, zero carbon and renewable gases and calls for the establishment of an alliance for decarbonised energy technologies.
Like the draft own-initiative report on the EU's hydrogen strategy (see other news), Mr Grudler's report is due to be presented to the European Parliament's Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) on 1 December, for a vote in March 2021 and a plenary vote by April.
See the draft report (in French): https://bit.ly/3eXTgyO (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)