EU Issues Energy Technology Reference Indicator Projections for 2010-2050

The Joint Research Centre (JRC), the European Commission’s in-house science service which employs scientists to carry out research in order to provide independent scientific advice and support to EU policy, has published the first version of the report: ETRI 2014 – Energy Technology Reference Indicator projections for 2010-2050.

The indicators provide a set of techno-economic data to be used for the evaluation of the European energy system.

The ETRI 2014 report presents a comprehensive and up-to-date cost and performance overview of the European energy technology portfolio for the period 2010 to 2050. It focuses on electricity generation technologies (e.g. wind, solar, coal, gas, nuclear), but it also includes electrical transmission grids, energy storage systems, and heat pumps.

Examples of data included are capital costs, operating and maintenance costs, efficiencies, greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption of different energy technologies.

To produce the ETRI, current data were collected and analysed by JRC experts, mainly using sources from the public domain. Projections were then established through an independent, transparent and systematic approach. The ETRI 2014 aims to:
• Create a useful and consistent input data set for European energy system modellers;
• Enhance the transparency of input data used in European energy system modelling studies;
• Complement the Technology Map 2013 in providing policymakers, and other stakeholders interested in energy technologies, with information about expected future technology developments, barriers, techno-economic performance etc.

The ETRI report will be updated bi-annually and the scope of technologies will be broadened with each release.