energy policy

As presented by the Energy Green Paper “A European Strategy for a sustainable, competitive and Secure Energy” (1), Europe has entered a new energy era. Global demand is increasing within a framework of high and unstable prices. Emissions of greenhouse gas

The European Commission has expressed the wish to harmonize energy regulations in the building sector and at the same time has formulated goals for promoting the use of renewable energy sources. This paper studied the possible synergy of these two targets. To make a first step in this research topic renewable energy techniques are considered as environmental innovations for which incentives, being a public good, is dependent on governmental intervention, like energy policy instruments.

In the previous issue of this Newsletter, the THERMIE Programme was presented through an interview with Mr Sampaio Nunes, Director of Energy Technology at the EC's DG XVII. In order to illustrate the Programme, this issue's subject is focused on the presentation of actual projects: six new so-called Targeted Projects have indeed been approved for THERMIE support in the Building sector after the 1995 and 1996 calls, and are now getting up to speed.

This paper is not intended as an exhaustive account of all the available natural cooling techniques, including an interminable list of references, the advantages and disadvantages of each technique, and their field of application. Rather, it is intended to present the perspectives of future research and the topics that should be covered within the frame of a European concerted action. Thus, it will concentrate on the main obstacles and faults that we feel exist in the current research, and subsequently on the measures that should be taken to correct this.