Giving LIFE to Europe’s clean energy transition

Giving LIFE to Europe's clean energy transition , a new publication showcasing the impact of LIFE clean energy transition (LIFE CET) sub-programme on key intervention areas to accelerate EU clean energy transition, competitiveness and energy independence. The publication features 28 projects ranging from local energy communities to multinational cross-border support to policy implementation and market integration .

As Dan Jørgensen, European Commissioner for Energy and Housing, writes in his foreword, 'These projects improve lives and transform communities. And by making transformations at a local level, we empower the transition at a European level.'

With a budget of nearly €1 billion spanning 2021-2027, the LIFE CET sub-programme funds around 60-70 projects every year which aim to turn policy into action. But action needs people - people like Ivana, Luca and Angela, who are among the passionate professionals quoted in the new brochure.

'This is about more than cutting energy costs - it's about helping the backbone of the EU economy stay competitive, embrace innovation, and play a meaningful role in Europe's journey to net-zero by 2050,' says Ivana Rae Almora, coordinator of the EnergyEfficiency4SME project.

'Dreaming of a better future is the ambitious and strategic goal of us all,' adds project coordinator Luca Bertalot from the Energy Efficient Mortgages Initiative (EEMI) - a sentiment echoed by Angela Holzmann, coordinator of Simple and smart energy communities for all (SHAREs). 'It was a pleasure to witness how international knowledge transfer, motivated experts and an engaged local population can, in just three years, achieve remarkable results,' she says.

The 28 case studies represent a broad range of projects covering the key impacts of the programme in accelerating EU clean energy transition. The LIFE CET sub-programme's achievements include transforming markets through innovative services, approaches and products; mobilising more than €820 million of clean energy investments and private finance from 2021-2024; and supporting the set-up of 38 one-stop shops (OSS) for the private residential sector.

In addition, 66 district heating and cooling (DHC) owners and operators are being helped to prepare investment plans, more than 500 energy communities supported, and close to 50 000 professionals trained under the BUILD UP Skills initiative. More than 1 000 municipalities have been helped to empower citizens in the clean energy transition, and LIFE CET projects are also supporting the implementation of EU policies and legislation.

In 2021-2022 alone, LIFE projects reduced energy consumption by around 8 000 gigawatts per year - roughly equivalent to Ireland's annual household energy use - and boosted renewable energy production to 4 664 gigawatts a year, nearly as much as Estonia produced over the same time.

LIFE CET has also supported 1 400 industry, public sector, finance, research and civil society bodies since it was established in 2021. Examples highlighted in the brochure range from multi-million euro pan-EU initiatives to local actions aimed at specific neighbourhoods. But what they all have in common, says Commissioner Jørgensen, 'is an ambition to 'deliver long-term benefits for communities, businesses, and citizens across Europe.'

'These examples prove that Europe's clean energy transition is not just a vision, but a shared and growing reality on the ground,' he adds. 'For Europe, there can be no energy security, independence, or affordability without the clean transition and a closer Energy Union.'

Click here for more information and to download a copy of Giving LIFE to Europe's clean energy transition, which is launched at the European Energy Efficiency Financing Coalition event in Brussels on 3 February.