European Union

CCS’s Transatlantic Research and Debate Project funded by the European Union aimed to enhance existing and new EU-US dialog and collaboration mechanisms on current and emerging low-carbon and clean energy policy actions and issues. The project focused on high volume/high velocity market penetration of renewable energy for power generation and related transatlantic collaboration.

In February 2016. CCS released the Report that lays down key findings and recommendations for enhanced transatlantic collaboration to expand and accelerate renewable energy. The White Paper was developed by EU and US experts as a result of conferrals and engagements with high-level government officials and agency representatives.

Key findings:

• Both the EU and US have significant commonalities in terms of economic, energy, and climate change goals and renewable energy priorities. This includes responses to economic hardship and linkages to the use of energy and resources.

• Both regions face similar and significantly challenging barriers to renewable energy market penetration in the areas of cost, investment, and technology. In the past decade both have adopted different but related specific response actions with track records of success.

• In the future, much greater expansion of renewable energy is needed to meet global climate stabilization goals and domestic energy, and environmental security needs. Solutions within regions to overcome barriers are most likely to succeed with the support of strong bilateral and multilateral support mechanisms.

• National and subnational transatlantic renewable energy collaboration mechanisms and programs are limited in proactive orientation, issue and indicator focus, as well as type of engagement and participation among counterparts. These limitations translate into key needs for removing barriers to effective collaboration on renewable energy.

 Key recommendations:

• Enhancements of transatlantic collaboration mechanisms should focus on:

  • Clear targets, indicators, and outcomes associated with cost, investment and technology barrier removal and market penetration.

  • Targeted high priority responses to cost, technology, and investment barriers.

  • Proactive, virtual mechanisms for thought leadership, peer learning, training, and technical assistance designed to collapse time, distance, information, and assistance barriers, and to accelerate response actions.

• Enhanced transatlantic collaboration should include state and local level counterparts from the EU and US, national and regional counterparts, and key parties in the private sector.

• Third party partnerships should be established to facilitate enhancements to cooperation and support to governments, including goal setting, outreach, exchange, training, and technical assistance.

• Enhanced collaboration between the EU and US should be opened to regional collaboration in Asia, Africa, Central and South America, and other regions.

CCS engaged with US and EU government representatives and stakeholders to move to the next phase and establish a new enhanced transatlantic collaboration mechanism to expand renewable energy.