The European Commission’s 7th Framework Programme

Human societies are dependent on and maintained by a continuous flow of energy, arguably the most fundamental and basic resource. As such, energy is an issue that affects all human activities and cuts across all policies.


As described in the Commission's Green Paper on a European strategy for sustainable, competitive and secure energy, Europe has entered into a new energy era. The energy landscape of the 21st century is one in which the world’s economic regions are dependent on each other for ensuring energy security and stable economic conditions, and for ensuring effective action against climate change.


Europe's energy economy, and that of the world, is currently on a path that is not sustainable and urgent action is needed. Set against the backdrop of a growing global demand for energy to power economic development and growth, we are faced with a huge challenge. Sustainable, affordable and secure energy has to become one of the basic pillars of daily life.


Recognising that none of the technologies being developed can make a sufficient difference on their own and that their commercialisation will take place over differing time horizons, a broad technology portfolio approach has been adopted, thus greatly reducing the risk and potentially the costs, if one or more technologies fail to make the expected progress.


The research, development and demonstration to be carried out under the European Commission’s 7th Framework Programme are expected to improve energy efficiency throughout the energy system; accelerate the penetration of renewable energy sources; decarbonise power generation and, in the longer term, substantially decarbonise transport; reduce greenhouse gas emissions; diversify Europe's energy mix; enhance the competitiveness of European industry through a better

involvement of SMEs.

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Nine focal points of the EU’s energy strategy

 

Hydrogen and fuel cells: Integrated action to provide a strong technological foundation for competitive EU fuel cell and hydrogen industries to develop stationary, portable and transport applications. The Hydrogen and Fuel Cells European Technology Platform contributes to this activity by proposing an integrated research and deployment strategy.


Renewable electricity generation: Technologies to increase overall conversion efficiency, cost efficiency and reliability, driving down the cost of electricity production from indigenous renewable energy sources, including wastes, and the development and demonstration of technologies suited to different regional conditions.


Renewable fuel production: Integrated fuel production systems and conversion technologies to develop and drive down the unit cost of solid, liquid and gaseous (including hydrogen) fuels produced from renewable energy sources including biomass and wastes, while aiming at the cost‑effective production, storage, distribution and use of carbon-neutral fuels, in particular biofuels for transport and electricity generation.


Renewables for heating and cooling: Research, development and demonstration of technologies and devices including storage technologies to increase efficiencies and drive down the costs of active and passive heating and cooling from renewable energy sources, ensuring their use in different regional conditions where sufficient potential can be identified.


CO2 capture and storage technologies for zero-emission power generation: Research, development and demonstration of technologies to drastically reduce the environmental impact of fossil fuel use, while aiming at highly efficient and cost effective power and/or heat generation plants with near zero emissions, based on CO2 capture and storage technologies, in particular underground storage.


Clean-coal technologies: Research, development and demonstration of technologies to substantially improve plant efficiency, reliability and cost through development and demonstration of clean coal and other solid fuel conversion technologies, producing also secondary energy carriers (including hydrogen) and liquid or gaseous fuels. Activities will be linked as appropriate to CO2 capture and storage technologies or co-utilisation of biomass.


Smart energy networks: Research, development and demonstration of how to increase the efficiency, safety, reliability and quality of the European electricity and gas systems and networks, notably within the context of a more integrated European energy market, e.g. by transforming the current electricity grids into an interactive (customers/operators) service network, developing energy storage options and removing obstacles to the large-scale deployment and effective integration of distributed and renewable energy sources.


Energy efficiency and savings: Research, development and demonstration of new concepts, optimisation of proven concepts and technologies to improve energy efficiency and to enable further final and primary energy consumption savings, over their life cycle, for buildings (including lighting savings), transport, services and industry. This includes the integration of strategies and technologies for energy efficiency (including co- and poly-generation), the use of new and renewable energy technologies and energy demand management measures and devices, and the demonstration of minimum climate impact buildings.


Knowledge for energy policy making: Development of tools, methods and models to assess the main economic and social issues related to energy technologies and to provide quantifiable targets and scenarios for medium‑ and long‑term horizons (including providing scientific support for policy development). 

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