By Kari Williamson

As a result, the Roadmap fails to deliver a coherent and future-proof vision, according to 11 representatives of the European heating and cooling sector, including the European Biomass Association.

The Roadmap acknowledges that renewable heating and cooling is vital to de-carbonisation and that a cost-optimal policy choice between insulating buildings and systematically using waste-heat needs to be found. Yet, a thorough analysis of the heating and cooling sector is omitted.

Further analysis needed

Mapping out the future of the European energy system requires a more holistic approach involving all forms of energy (i.e. heat, transport and electricity) and which fully reflects their interdependencies.

Neglecting the production and use of thermal energy inevitably leads to distorted results, in particular to a complete reliance on electricity in de-carbonising the energy sector, leaving aside possibilities to simply meet heating and cooling demands by direct use of renewable and waste heat sources.

As a consequence, the EU would have to rely on potential technological breakthroughs such as carbon capture and storage and massive grid reinforcement, the signatories warn.

For the successful development of a post-2020 energy policy framework, Europe needs to understand thermal energy flows within and across sectors, i.e. how buildings are heated and cooled, in which form heat is used to drive industrial processes and how thermal energy can generate electricity.

Need heating and cooling policy

The signatories urge the EU and its Member States to adopt and to swiftly execute an ambitious European heating and cooling policy.

To achieve a better overall energy integration, replete with significant economic opportunities, political measures and infrastructure funding must be directed towards local low and no-carbon solutions already available.