Annexes to COM(2022)552 - Digitalising the energy system - EU action plan - Main contents
Please note
This page contains a limited version of this dossier in the EU Monitor.
| dossier | COM(2022)552 - Digitalising the energy system - EU action plan. |
|---|---|
| document | COM(2022)552  |
| date | October 18, 2022 |
In the meantime, given the current energy crisis and the heightened risks for the coming winter, the Commission urges Member States (i) to implement targeted and proportionate measures to lower the electricity consumption of crypto-asset miners, in line with the proposed Council Regulation on an emergency intervention to address high energy prices, and (ii), also in a longer term perspective, to put an end to tax breaks and other fiscal measures benefitting crypto-miners currently in force in certain Member States. In case there is a need for load shedding in the electricity systems, the Member States must also be ready to stop crypto-assets mining.
On 15 September 2022, Ethereum, the second largest cryptocurrency in the world, completed its long-awaited switch to proof-of-stake consensus mechanism, which the company estimates would reduce Ethereum’s energy consumption over 99%. If so far only cryptocurrencies with a smaller market cap have used the mentioned consensus mechanism that uses less energy, then this switch shows that the crypto world can move towards a more efficient system. But we need to go the extra mile for this to happen. To reduce energy consumption, the Commission will promote “environmentally friendly” consensus mechanisms through the European Blockchain Services Infrastructure as gold standard in Europe and the world.
The Commission will cooperate internationally with, and build on the technical expertise of, standardisation bodies to develop an energy-efficiency label for blockchains.
7. An EU-wide coordinated approach
Digitalisation is an ongoing process changing society and the energy system. It needs careful planning at all levels and a dedicated dialogue and political guidance on how best to deliver on the EU’s digital and green policy objectives. The speed and global nature of digitalisation means that the following should be prioritised: (i) supporting twin transition synergies through the EU’s main frameworks for Member State planning for the twin transitions and EU funding tools; (ii) a closer cooperation at EU-level between public authorities as well as between energy and digital stakeholders across the entire energy value chain, and (iii) closer cooperation at international level with like-minded countries and international organisations.
7.1 Supporting REPowerEU and the recovery from the COVID19 pandemic
In their Recovery and Resilience Plans (RRPs), Member States recognised the potential of synergies between the Green Deal and the Digital Decade Policy Programme 2030. For example, many RRPs referred to using digital solutions to: (i) accelerate the decarbonisation of energy networks; (ii) integrate smart meters in energy systems; or (iii) upgrade the smartness of the electricity grids 66 . The Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) also has the potential to be a key tool to help deliver on the REPowerEU plan as it is an agile instrument to address challenges in a wide range of policy areas over a medium-term horizon.
In May 2022, the Commission made a legislative proposal to add REPowerEU chapters to the the national Recovery and Resilience Plans, to support the specific reforms and investments required to implement REPowerEU. 67 Therefore, in the context of the ongoing dialogues between the EU and the Member States on how the RRPs can help delivering on the REPowerEU objectives, the Commission invites Member States to outline, where appropriate measures in the field of digitalisation of the energy system.
7.2 Synergies between the EU’s energy and digital agenda
Going forward, it is essential to exploit synergies between the green and digital transitions in the two main instruments at EU level that guide the European Green Deal and the Digital Decade Policy Programme 2030, namely: (i) the National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) – and in particular their updates due by June 2024 to reflect the increased ambition of the revised 2030 framework; and (ii) the national Digital Decade roadmaps. These synergies include the use of data and tools for energy system integration and planning. They also concern the optimal integration of digital infrastructure such as data-centres and cloud infrastructure into the overall energy and heating systems, in coexistence with competing uses of that system, for example through energy-efficient data centres and the reuse of their waste heat for businesses and households, as well as allocating spectrum in telecommunications networks to smart energy grid solutions. How to exploit fully such synergies will be considered in the guidance for Member States’ updates of their NECPs, that the Commission intends to publish later this year.
Moreover, the Commission will use the Smart Energy Expert Group to set up a structured high-level dialogue with national representatives on ‘Digitalisation of energy: state of play, progress, opportunities and challenges’. The expert group will launch a complementary analysis between the Commission and Member States based on both the NECPs and the cooperative dialogues foreseen for the national Digital Decade roadmaps. This analysis will seek to draw up a common agenda, trajectories and milestones to improve the digitalisation of the energy system through a coherent planning and monitoring framework.
To help quantify the benefits of digitalising the energy system, the Commission will continue the close cooperation with the European Green Digital Coalition, on developing tools and methodologies for estimating and measuring the net impact of enabling digital technologies, e.g. in the energy sector.
The Commission will also build on the exploratory work and expertise of the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications, and consider setting up platforms to coordinate and cooperate across energy and telecoms to facilitate the clean energy transition. Cooperation in this area will also help digitalise the energy system. For example, ComReg, the statutory body responsible for the regulation of electronic communications in Ireland, in 2019 already announced that most of its 400-MHz Band spectrum was awarded to smart-grids solutions.
7.3 Connecting local and regional innovators
Building a shared vision and pathway for digitalising the energy system will only be successful if the EU and its Member States can build on innovation ecosystems where many digital and energy actors at European, national, regional and local level cooperate. EU-level support can help this cooperation by speeding up innovation and the entry-to-market of digital solutions. Therefore, the Commission will create the ‘Gathering Energy and Digital Innovators from across the EU’ (GEDI-EU) platform for structural cooperation between, on the one hand, the European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs) and the Artificial Intelligence Testing and Experimentation Facilities (AI TEFs) established under the Digital Europe Programme that focus on energy 68 , and on the other hand, the EU network of innovators and research institutions in the energy sector set up under the Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET Plan) 69 . The platform will cooperate closely with cities as beneficiaries, investors and incubators of digital technologies in the energy sector, for example through the cooperation of smart cities and communities.
The activities of the platform will aim at (i) drawing up a common agenda of priority needs and mutual interests; (ii) supporting knowledge communities, through vertical (EU-local) as well as horizontal (local-local) and cross-sectoral sharing of best practices and enhancing skills; and (iii) strengthening interoperability of new products or services based on co-design by innovators on the platform to facilitate market-uptake across the EU. The platform will report to the Smart Energy Expert Group and also promote sharing of best practices and recommend future measures, for example in expert workshops and an annual high-level event.
7.4 Building international partnerships for the green and digital transition
Interoperable technical standards, cyber-security, data protection and other key features of digitalisation of the energy system must be ensured globally, in international fora and in cooperation with partner countries. Team Europe will need to be well coordinated and set out its plans clearly to help avoid incompatible standards and shape a global consensus on the choice of technologies and services where innovation happens rapidly.
Innovative digital energy technologies can boost both sustainable development globally as well as the EU´s competitiveness as fostering international collaboration creates new global value chains for components and services, and help spread a European, values-basedapproach to standards, products, and services. To advance the green and digital transition with partner countries through bilateral contacts, the Commission will integrate digital and green aspects in energy-related projects, partnerships and cooperation agreements. In particular, the countries of the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, Japan and the United States could be cooperation partners.
The Commission will continue to participate actively in multilateral, international fora, such as the UN 70 , G7, the Clean Energy Ministerial, Mission Innovation, and the International Smart Grid Action Network (ISGAN). It will also build on the important work of the IEA and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). In doing this, the Commission will seek to strengthen international cooperation and promote digitalisation of energy as a horizontal issue or by promoting specific solutions. The Commission will also promote international cooperation, in particular through joint research and innovation activities supported under Horizon Europe and build on existing experiences, such as the EU-India High-Level Platform on Smart Grids 71 .
7.5 Financial support for faster uptake of digital energy technologies
To ensure that innovation in digital technologies - and innovation enabled by digital technologies - are taken up in the energy sector, continuous and targeted support for their development and use is key.
It is critically important to ensure public and private support for R&I at EU level and in Member States, and finding synergies between both. The SET Plan can help to find these synergies. The review of the SET Plan scheduled for next year will address the enabling role of digital technologies. The Commission calls on Member States to: (i) increase their R&I support for the testing and piloting of digital technologies in the energy sector; and (ii) promote cooperation between digital and energy stakeholders through the national R&I programmes.
At EU level, the Commission intends to include in the Horizon Europe work programme for 2023-2024 a flagship initiative to support digitalisation of the energy system, which addresses the key priorities of this action plan. In addition, Horizon Europe will support the uptake of digital technologies to promote the competitiveness of clean energy technologies in the EU, notably by using digital technologies to support improved performance or reduced technology costs. Also, the EU Climate-neutral and Smart Cities Mission to establish 100 climate neutral cities by 2030 will be supported by funding the development of Digital Twins of cities that will include energy infrastructure. Where possible, the Commission will promote/support the use of Open Source to ensure accessibility and market uptake. Furthermore, the European Innovation Council (EIC) supports start-ups and scale-ups that develop and apply digital technologies in the energy sector in 2022 and 2023. With regard to cybersecurity, the newly established European Cybersecurity Competence Centre 72 and the Network of Cooperation Centres co-funded by Horizon Europe, the Digital Europe Programme and Member States, aim at increasing capacity building, innovation and investments. The Digital Europe Programme also supports operators of critical infrastructures (including energy).
The cohesion policy supports investments by Member States, regions and local authorities. Financial assistance will target the digital transformation across sectors, including energy, with a particular focus on smart energy systems and smart grids. Copernicus, the Earth Observation component of the Union Space Programme and Destination Earth, provides environmental data that enable for example better siting and operation of renewable energy generation.
The LIFE Clean Energy Transition (CET) sub-programme supports the development of smart energy services’ solutions to empower citizens and communities in the energy system, to allow for a better control of energy consumption and thus to trigger behavioural changes and demand for building renovations. In addition, the LIFE CET sub-programme supports the market uptake and integration of solutions able to improve the smartness of the EU building stock and its integration in a digitalised energy system to fully exhaust the optimisation and flexibility potential of buildings and building systems. This includes addressing gaps linked to the availability of data, interoperability, user acceptance and skills.
8. Conclusion
The Russian invasion of Ukraine and current high energy prices have only increased the need and speed to ensure that the EU increases both its independence from Russian fossil fuel imports and its strategic sovereignty and security in creating a digital energy system. As the electrification and decarbonisation of the EU energy system is accelerating, increasing its digitalisation is essential to achieve the Union’s 2030 and 2050 climate targets in a cost-effective way. This Action Plan lives up to the ambition stated in the Strategic Foresight Report on the twin green and digital transitions that digital technology helps to create a climate-neutral and resource-efficient society, while ensuring that everybody can benefit from this transition.
As indicated in this Action Plan, this will require both medium-term and long-term actions as well as framed governance. It will involve multiple stakeholder communities, businesses and international partners and it will require clever use of limited public funding and more private investments. There is no transition towards clean energy without a plan for digital. Therefore, the Commission invites the European Parliament and the Council to endorse this action plan and contribute to its swift implementation.
Annex: Digitalising the energy system: key Commission actions and indicative timeline
The Commission will:
| An EU framework for sharing data | |
| Formally establish the ‘Smart Energy Expert Group’ and set up ‘Data for Energy (D4E)’ as one of its permanent working groups. | Q.I 2023 |
| Establish the governance of the common European energy data space. | 2024 |
| Adopt an Implementing Act on interoperability requirements and procedures for access to metering and consumption data. | Q.III 2022 (Submission to comitology) |
| Prepare the ground for adopting Implementing Acts on interoperability requirements and procedures for access to data required for demand response and customer switching. | Q.III 2022 (start of activity) |
| Promote a code of conduct for energy-smart appliances to enable interoperability and boost their participation in demand response schemes. | Q.IV 2023 |
| Intend to support the deployment of the common European energy data space through a Digital Europe Programme call for proposals. | 2024 |
| Promoting investments in digital electricity infrastructure | |
| Support EU TSOs and DSOs to create a Digital Twin of the European Electricity grid. | as of 2022 |
| Support ACER and the National Regulatory Authorities in their work to define common smart grid indicators. | By 2023 |
| Support under CEF Digital the development of concepts and feasibility studies for pan-European Operational Digital Platforms. | By 2024 |
| Ensuring benefits for consumers: new services, skills and empowerment | |
| Ensure that key R&I projects work together to identify strategies to engage consumers in the design and use of digital tools. | Q.II 2023 |
| Identify and shortlist digital tools and produce guidance on energy sharing and peer to peer exchanges for the benefit of energy communities and their members as part of the Energy Communities Repository. | 2023-2024 |
| Develop an experimentation platform to test and simulate energy communities. | 2023-2024 |
| Support the establishment of a large-scale partnership as part of the Pact for Skills. | End of 2023 |
| Strengthening cybersecurity and -resilience in the energy system | |
| Propose a delegated act on the cybersecurity of cross-border electricity flows. | Q.I 2023 |
| Propose a delegated act on cybersecurity for gas networks (subject to confirmation after the outcome of the legislative procedure). | Subject to confirmation |
| Controlling the energy consumption of the ICT sector | |
| Develop an energy-labelling scheme for computers and evaluate a possible revision of the eco-design regulation on servers and data storage products. Explore the possibility to develop common indicators for measuring the environmental footprint of electronic communications services. | Q. IV 2023 |
| Establish an EU Code of Conduct for the sustainability of telecommunications networks. | Q. IV 2025 |
| Fund a study and prepare a communication and awareness raising campaign on the responsible energy consumption of day-to-day digital behaviours. | 2022-2023 |
| Propose binding obligations and transparency requirements, as well as provisions to promote the reuse of waste heat, for data centres. | Q.IV 2022 |
| Explore and prepare the introduction of an environmental labelling scheme for data centres. | 2025 |
| Develop an energy efficiency label for blockchain. | 2025 |
| An EU-wide coordinated approach | |
| Create a platform ‘Gathering Energy and Digital Innovators from across the EU’ (GEDI-EU). | 2022 |
| Intends to provide financial support for R&I and market uptake of digital technologies in the energy sector, through the Digital Europe Programme, LIFE, cohesion policy and a flagship programme for Digitalisation of Energy in Horizon Europe. | 2023-2024 |
| Develop, in cooperation with the European Green Digital Coalition, tools and methodologies to measure the net impact of enabling digital technologies in the energy sector, on the environment and climate. | 2023-2024 |
(1) EU Solar Energy Strategy COM(2022)221
(2) REPowerEU Communication COM(2022)230 final
(3) Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy COM(2020)789 final
(4) The Global Gateway JOIN(2021) 30 final
(5) International Energy Agency, Digitalization and Energy, 2017 - https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/b1e6600c-4e40-4d9c-809d-1d1724c763d5/DigitalizationandEnergy3.pdf
(6) Figure for the EU+UK. Source: Connecting the dots: Distribution grid investment to power the energy transition - Eurelectric – Powering People
(7) https://www.cbi.eu/market-information/outsourcing-itobpo/industrial-internet-things/market-potential , 7 June 2022
(8) Estimate based on Smart Metering Benchmarking Report (March 2020), European Commission, Directorate-General for Energy, Alaton, C., Tounquet, F., Benchmarking smart metering deployment in the EU-28 : final report, Publications Office, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2833/492070 .
(9) The European Data Strategy (COM(2020) 66 final) announced the creation of Common European data spaces in nine sectors, including energy.
(10) ‘Digitalisation of energy flexibility’, report by the Energy Transition Expertise Centre (EnTEC), https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/c230dd32-a5a2-11ec-83e1-01aa75ed71a1/language-en .
(11) COM(2022) 68 final.
(12) COM(2020) 767 final.
(13) A common European data space brings together relevant data infrastructures and governance frameworks, in order to facilitate data pooling and sharing. It will include the deployment of data sharing means and services, data governance structures, and will improve the availability, quality and interoperability of data. More details are provided in the Commission Staff Working Document on common European data spaces (SWD(2022) 45 final).
(14) The Smart Grids Task Force is an informal expert group that advises the Commission on policy and regulatory frameworks for developing and rolling out smart grids ( https://ec.europa.eu/transparency/expert-groups-register/screen/expert-groups/consult?do=groupDetail.groupDetail&groupID=2892 ).
(15) The concept of high-level use cases refers to the main priority areas to be addressed. Each high-level use case will, in practice, encompass several use cases that will describe in more details the relevant actors, processes and data flows for each specific business and operational arrangement.
(16) These include the current work of the Smart Grids Task Force, the ongoing work for a Network code on demand side flexibility ( https://www.acer.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/Media/News/Documents/2022%2006%2001%20FG%20Request%20to%20ACER_final.pdf ), the work related to the Commission proposal for a Regulation on the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure ( https://eur-lex.europa.eu/resource.html?uri=cellar:dbb134db-e575-11eb-a1a5-01aa75ed71a1.0001.02/DOC_1&format=PDF ) and the results obtained by the Sustainable Transport Forum, as well as the activity and products of the Expert group on European financial data space ( https://ec.europa.eu/transparency/expert-groups-register/screen/expert-groups/consult?lang=en&groupID=3763 ) and the Energy Efficiency Financial Institutions Group (EEFIG) ( https://eefig.ec.europa.eu/index_en ).
(17) In particular the working group ‘Common Data Approach for Electromobility and other Alternative Fuels (STF on Data)’ that focuses on mapping the policy and technical elements needed to put in place an open data ecosystem for electromobility ( https://transport.ec.europa.eu/transport-themes/clean-transport-urban-transport/sustainable-transport-forum-stf_en ).
(18) Expert group that will be established according to the provisions of the proposed Data Governance Act.
(19) Such as the data spaces dedicated to mobility, construction and buildings, and the financial sector.
(20) The Data Spaces Support Centre is being set up with the support of the Digital Europe Programme ( https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/digital-2021-cloud-ai-01-suppcentre ).
(21) https://joinup.ec.europa.eu/collection/nifo-national-interoperability-framework-observatory/3-interoperability-layers .
(22) At the end of 2020, in 11 Member States the installation rate of electricity smart meters to householders had reached more than 80%; Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, Italy, and Sweden recorded a 98% rollout rate or higher, followed by Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, France and Slovenia, with rollout rates between 83% and 93%. Smart metering rollout plans and actual rollout rates diverge widely, suggesting that a number of EU consumers will not have access to smart meters in the near future (source: ACER/CEER Market Monitoring Report 2021).
(23) This will facilitate the aggregation of flexibility coming from smart assets in households and companies. For more details see: https://ses.jrc.ec.europa.eu/development-of-policy-proposals-for-energy-smart-appliances .
(24) This includes proposed support for the deployment of a common European energy data space with a budget of EUR 8 million, and support by and cooperation with the Data Space Support Centre for interoperability across data spaces (e.g. mobility, smart communities).
(25) The Horizon Europe 2021 Work Programme supports 5 projects with a budget of EUR 40 million that aim to establish the ground for deploying a common European data space for energy ( https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/horizon-cl5-2021-d3-01-01 ).
(26) Such as projects that are cooperating under the Bridge initiative to provide policy advice with regard to smart grids: ( https://bridge-smart-grid-storage-systems-digital-projects.ec.europa.eu/ ).
(27) See examples in the Staff Working Document accompanying this Communication.
(28) Position on incentivising smart investments to improve the efficient use of electricity transmission assets, ACER, November 2021.
(29) The common indicators will also provide guidance on the transposition of Article 59.1(l) of the Electricity Directive.
(30) As both actions will happen in parallel and common smart grid indicators will be defined in the same 5 areas as those for coordinated investments to create the digital twin.
(31) For example, via the creation of electronic application portals and common repositories of permitting-related relevant data for energy infrastructure and renewable projects, one-stop shops for project developers or by increasing transparency on the availability of grid capacities to uptake additional renewable projects in specific local areas.
(32) https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/find-funding/eu-funding-programmes/technical-support-instrument/technical-support-instrument-tsi_en
(33) https://ec.europa.eu/info/energy-climate-change-environment/standards-tools-and-labels/products-labelling-rules-and-requirements/energy-label-and-ecodesign/product-database_en
(34) Unified Demand Response Interoperability framework enabling Market Participation of Active energy Consumers. For more information see: CORDIS Results Pack on digitalization of the energy system – A thematic collection of innovative EU-funded research results.
(35) In particular, the ongoing preparatory work for a possible network code on demand-side flexibility.
(36) COM(2022) 68 final
(37) COM(2022) 28 final
(38) Directive 2005/29/EC concerning unfair business-to-consumer commercial practices in the internal market.
(39) Directive 2011/83/EU on consumer rights.
(40) Council Directive 93/13/EEC on unfair terms in consumer contracts.
(41) Digital and Economic Index (DESI) 2022 results, p. 14 of European Analysis 2022 retrieved from https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/desi
(42) Based on the results of the public consultation, the Commission has identified shortcomings in skills development and the lack of adequate skilled workers as the most important barrier to the uptake of digital technologies (Synopsis Report available in Have Your Say).
(43) The blueprint for sectoral cooperation on skills is one of the key initiatives of the new skills agenda for Europe. Under the blueprint, stakeholders will work together in sector-specific partnerships, also called sectoral skills alliances. Partnerships from each project will develop a sectoral skills strategy to support the overall growth strategy for the sector at EU level (to be further rolled out at national and regional level).
(44) EU funding for training opportunities for acquiring digital skills in energy is available in the Digital Europe Programme, open call DIGITAL-2022-SKILLS-03
(45) COM(2020) 741 final
(46) Proposal to amend the Gas Security of Supply Regulation, December 2021 (EU) 2017/1938.
(47) In 2022, the European Commission launched the European Green Digital Coalition (EGDC) which currently includes 34 signatories committed to working together with experts and academia on science-based methods to measure the net environmental impact of digital solutions across priority sectors, including the energy and power sectors. By the end of 2022, 18 real-life case studies will be examined to help validate and refine the iterative development of the net environmental impact methodology across sectors. The first calculations of environmental effects of green digital solutions for energy systems, as well as draft guidelines for deployment of digitalisation with enabling effects, will be available in 2023.
(48) In addition, the energy footprint of ICT represents 3-5% of global carbon emissions, which puts it on a par with the aviation industry’s emissions. Most recent analysis suggests that the energy consumption of consumer devices in 2020 accounted for roughly 50% of the overall energy consumption of ICT technologies, with the two next largest contributors being respectively the production of ICT devices (~20%) and the operation of data centres (~15%). However, this picture is expected to change dramatically by 2030, as the overall energy consumption of ICT technologies is expected to increase by 50% over this decade. The top three contributors in 2030 would then be the operation of consumer devices (33%), the operation of data centres (30%) and the operation of networks (27%).
(49) Proposal for a Regulation establishing a framework for setting Ecodesign requirements for sustainable products and repealing Directive 2009/125/EC, COM(2022) 142 final
(50) It should be noted that electronic displays, the only category of electronic devices having an energy consumption higher than desktop and laptop computers, are already targeted in the EU by an existing energy labelling scheme.
(51) See https://ec.europa.eu/info/news/ecodesign-and-energy-labelling-working-plan-2022-2024-2022-apr-06_en
(52) See https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/europe-fit-digital-age/shaping-europe-digital-future_en
(53) COM(2022) 28 final
(54) To this respect, it can be noted that while the share of cloud data centres accounted for 10% of data centres’ energy consumption in 2010, it increased to 35% in 2018 and is expected to rise to 60% in 2025. See https://ec.europa.eu/newsroom/dae/document.cfm?doc_id=71330 .
(55) It will reach 3.21% by 2030, if development continues on the current trajectory: https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/energy-efficient-cloud-computing-technologies-and-policies-eco-friendly-cloud-market
(56) COM(2021) 118 final
(57) See https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/europe-fit-digital-age/europes-digital-decade-digital-targets-2030_en
(58) Through, most notably, the EU Code of Conduct on Data Centre Energy Efficiency, an important number of studies and research projects, regulation (EU) 2019/424 on the Ecodesign of servers and data storage products, the EU Taxonomy for Sustainable Finance, which includes criteria for data centres, as well as the European Chips act.
(59) Directive (EU) 2012/27 on energy efficiency, Article 11(10)
(60) Regulation (EU) 2019/424
(61) Based on June 2022 data.
(62) See Cambridge Bitcoin Electricity Consumption Index: https://ccaf.io/cbeci/index .
(63) See for instance https://www.bloomberg.com/professional/blog/why-bitcoins-energy-problem-is-so-hard-to-fix-quicktake/#:~:text=1.,which%20keeps%20a%20running%20estimate . Modern blockchain consensus mechanisms require much less energy to operate than the one used in Bitcoin (e.g. “proof of stake”).
(64) The final MiCA text was agreed by co-legislators on 30 June 2022.
(65) Recovery and Resilience Scoreboard. Thematic Analysis: Digital public services, European Commission, December 2021.
(66) Commission Proposal COM(2022) 231 final, amending the Regulation as regards REPowerEU chapters in recovery and resilience plans, and the guidance on RRPs in the context of REPowerEU.
(67) 34 out of the 136 EDIHs that will be co-funded via Digital Europe and will start in September 2022 will focus (but not exclusively) on the digitalisation of the energy sector. This number may grow in 2023.
(68) Namely the European Technology & Innovation Partnership – Smart Networks for Energy Transition (ETIP SNET), the European Research Area Co-fund (ERA) Net Smart Grids Plus and the European Energy Research Alliance (EERA). In addition, the platform will also build on the activities of the European Partnership for Clean Energy Transition under the Horizon Europe Cluster on Climate, Energy and Mobility.
(69) Coalition for Digital Environmental Sustainability (CODES) www.sparkblue.org/CODES
(70) EU-India High Level Platform on Smart Grids - Florence School of Regulation (eui.eu)
(71) European Cybersecurity Competence Centre: https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/cybersecurity-competence-centre