Biomasses are a key element

During a conference hosted by the last edition of the Exhibition Progetto Fuoco, Giulio Volpi, member of the Directorate General for Energy of the Renewable Sources Unit of the European Commission, underlined how European energy policy for 2030 and for 2050 views the European Green Deal as its most valuable tool. The Green Deal aims to transform the EU economy, and to adapt it to a future economy under the sign of environmental sustainability.

The ultimate goal is extremely ambitious: the decarbonisation of the economy by 2050.

Volpi explained that the Commission is presenting new policies to reduce the gap of countries that will not reach the intermediate target of 32.5% in 2030.
“There are various plans to achieve the reduction of carbonization, such as the renewal of the building stock, the intelligent integration of renewables or a strategy for energy infrastructures. We have to invest much more in these tools – he continued. In the next 5 years we will spend a hundred billion, however the bulk of the effort depends on the nations that still import too much fossil fuel and do not recycle enough the organic waste, by-products and agricultural crops to obtain biogas. In this regard, we are working on a new strategy that will improve sustainability starting from food “

The Italian results say that 30% of the electricity comes from renewable sources, as well as 20% of heating and cooling, while the transport for 19.5% still depends on fossil fuels.
Volpi added that the goal of obtaining another 1.3% of heating and cooling from renewable energy could become mandatory in the coming years. In July 2021 new sustainability criteria for biomass will be issued, establishing minimum production standards and conversion of forest biomass into electricity.

“The use of biomass must also grow for transportation, electricity, industry (also the use of hydrogen is expected) and reforestation will have to be carried out despite some countries being at the limit of their capacity. In this regard, there is a plan to plant a billion trees across Europe”. Eventually, the expert recalled that the Commission is studing different scenarios for the 90% reduction of the greenhouse effect, even if total decarbonisation will hardly be achieved.