Monitoring and advancing Europe’s energy transition

Europe's commitment to the ambitious targets of the Paris Agreement has made the energy transition a cornerstone of its climate strategy. This shift not only aims to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions but also brings a host of co-benefits, including improvements in air quality, enhanced biodiversity, and a healthier urban environment. So why do we need to monitor the energy transition?

Monitoring the progress of the EU's energy transition is vital for several reasons:

• Monitoring ensures accountability by providing a clear picture of whether we are on track to meet climate goals. Without accurate data, assessing whether policies and initiatives are effective becomes impossible. 

• Monitoring promotes innovation. By tracking the success of new environmental technologies, we can demonstrate their viability and scale them up across sectors. It can also help identify gaps promoting further innovation to address these challenges

• Monitoring enhances the scientific knowledge base. These efforts generate valuable data that allows researchers to explore new insights and test emerging ideas in the fields of sustainability and climate science. It also links to the development of policy through evidence-based approaches.

According to Climate Watch (an online platform that provides data and tools to track climate progress globally) two of the largest contributing sectors to global GHG emissions in 2021 (the most recent data available) were Energy use in buildings (33%) and Transportation (16%). In the EU, a key driver behind improving monitoring efforts is the funding of research projects by the European Commission. These projects not only shine a light on existing tools that can be applied at local and national levels but also pave the way for the creation of new technologies designed to monitor pollutants and environmental threats.

In this article, we will explore the crucial role of EU-funded research projects in mobility and the urban environment in monitoring and advancing the energy transition. 

Mobility

Keeping close watch on emissions and pollutants

In the aviation and maritime sectors, tracking key environmental metrics is essential for ensuring compliance with EU climate goals and air quality standards. One of the primary indicators is CO₂ emissions, which are monitored under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). Additionally, other greenhouse gas emissions are indirectly targeted through initiatives like FuelEU Maritime and ReFuelEU Aviation, which promote cleaner fuel alternatives. Beyond greenhouse gases, there is growing attention to air pollutant concentrations, particularly with the updated Ambient Air Quality Directives (revised in October 2022, setting stricter limits to protect public health) and the National Emission reduction Commitments Directive.

Traditionally, monitoring many of these parameters has relied on tracking transport activity by combining kilometres travelled with ‘emissions factors’—a measure of the emissions intensity per kilometre based on the mode of transport mode and fuel used. However, this method often overlooks the emissions generated when vehicles are idle, or in high-traffic areas like transport hubs where pollutants tend to be concentrated. To address these gaps, EU-funded research projects are focusing on improving monitoring in these critical areas.

Using digital twins for data-driven decisions

Innovative tools like digital twins—virtual simulations of real-world environments—are being developed by projects like PIONEERS (for ports) and Stargate (for airports). These digital twins will enable real-time monitoring and logging of CO2 emissions, offering a detailed mapping of emission sources and the ability to analyse pollution patterns over time. Furthermore, these simulations allow for testing "what-if" scenarios, providing insights into the potential impacts of various environmental measures (see more here on PIONEERS’ initiative). Stargate has already made significant progress, creating detailed 3D rendering/replications of each of its airport sites which lays the foundation for future simulation work.
 

Figure 1: Stargate’s software supports the analysis of decarbonisation projects, simulating different scenarios and evaluating their impact (Source: Stargate)
 

Another initiative, the MAGPIE project, has developed a set of key performance indicators (KPIs) for each of its demonstrator innovations in ports which will monitor developments in various greenhouse gases, energy use, fuel consumption, expenditure, social acceptance and spatial impact. It aims to compare these indicators before and after deploying its demonstrators to determine the differences made and will later use these to assess their scale-up potential – their capacity to be implemented in different settings (i.e. ports), or at a larger scale (i.e. when used in 100 vessels instead of one).

Getting detailed feedback on emissions

At Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (Paris, France), the OLGA project is taking real-time atmospheric pollutant monitoring to the next level. By pinpointing the sources of emissions—whether from aircraft, road traffic, energy production, or ground support equipment—OLGA is able to evaluate the effectiveness of environmental initiatives such as increased use of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), greening runway equipment, and reducing reliance on auxiliary power units (APUs).
 

Figure 2: Stargate’s software supports the analysis of decarbonisation projects, simulating different scenarios and evaluating their impact. (Source: OLGA)
 

On a broader scale, the RI-URBANS project is developing advanced tools with vertical and horizontal scanning capabilities to monitor a wide range of air pollutants in urban areas, not just limited to ports and airports. These tools can identify both the concentration and sources of pollutants, providing critical data for cities aiming to reduce air pollution. RI-URBANS has already published a substantial amount of this monitoring data on open platforms, making it accessible for further research and policy development.

Figure 3: RI-URBANS’ multiple measurement sites distributed along Europe. (Source: RI-URBANS)

Through these innovative projects, the EU is enhancing its ability to track emissions and air quality in the transport sector, supporting the energy transition and helping to meet climate and environmental targets. On a local level, enabling the sector to reduce its emissions also contributes to improving the quality of life in cities, especially those with significant port and/or airport activity.

Urban Environment

In cities, monitoring key environmental metrics is crucial for aligning with the EU's sustainability goals. Among the most important factors to track are building energy consumption and renewable energy production. Building energy consumption must comply with the Energy Efficiency Directive and the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), whilst renewable energy production contributes to the Renewable Energy Directive (RED III). Additionally, the indoor environmental quality of buildings, though not yet regulated, is gaining attention due to its impact on occupant health and comfort. In line with the just transition, it is also vitally important to monitor that interventions are culturally acceptable.

Improving data granularity, accuracy and comparability 

This monitoring can be performed at a city-wide level, at neighbourhood level, or even at building level. Traditionally, monitoring in these sectors has relied on broad estimates such as annual average energy demands or generalised projections, and methodologies vary from city to city. However, EU-funded research projects are revolutionising this approach by harmonising the approach to monitoring across different cities in Europe, and developing bottom-up solutions to provide a more detailed understanding of a building's energy profile and help facility managers identify inefficiencies. 

Beginning with the bottom-up solutions, one notable initiative, PROBONO, is developing an Energy Planning Tool that converts hourly energy consumption data into electricity demand and response curves. This tool offers insights into when environmental technologies like heat pumps and solar panels are contributing to the building's energy self-sufficiency. It also helps inform behavioural changes by identifying optimal times for energy use and storage, ultimately improving efficiency and reducing reliance on external energy sources.

Figure 4: Exploring the demand and supply of heat supports discussions on opportunities for improvement. (Source: PROBONO)

Figure 5: Reviewing the payback time of an investment scenario compared to the baseline to make informed decisions. (Source: PROBONO)

A comprehensive sustainability evaluation

Similarly, the ARV project has established a comprehensive monitoring framework for its six urban regeneration projects across Europe. This framework outlines Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that should be used to monitor the achievement of the demonstration projects as Climate Positive Circular Communities. The assessment of these KPIs will be refined during the project, aiming to use real-world data collected by the demonstrators as the basis for the assessment. 

To achieve this goal, the specific devices and time intervals for collecting and storing data on energy consumption, energy generation, CO₂ levels, and weather conditions have been established. Qualitative data will also be collected through surveys to determine a range of social, economic, and architectural KPIs. Finally, the ARV dataset will enable the application of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodologies, Life Cycle Costing (LCC), and Social Life Cycle Assessment (SLCA) for a comprehensive sustainability evaluation of proposed interventions, which will provide valuable insights for future projects and policies.

Figure 6: Overview of ARV demo site in Sønderborg, Denmark, with 19 social housing blocks. (Source: Project Zero)

At the city level, NetZeroCities is conducting important work through the Climate City Contracts (CCC) to encourage cities to provide high level and cross stakeholder commitments, collate their Action Plans and provide Investment Plans to ensure smooth and timely implementation of climate action. 

By the end of 2024, 90% of the 112 Mission cities would have submitted their CCC. The impact created by the project is the alignment of data reporting platforms on cities reporting on mandatory mitigation numbers with standardised units and base line years. Over 100 cities have been funded for pilot activities and about 80 cities for twinning and replication of good practices towards climate action. 

For the next steps the emphasis is on encouraging cities beyond the 112 Mission Cities on (1) mapping, compiling, and harmonising the existing practices of cities in collecting and reporting data for GHG emissions, and (2) championing the collection of indicators tracking the indirect impacts of environmental interventions, highlighting their level of cultural acceptance, also known as co-benefits, or co-risks. 

A recent report on these activities has mapped the approaches taken by 112 EU cities on GHG reporting that suggests a harmonised approach, through a published monitoring and evaluation framework that every city can use to demonstrate its decarbonisation journey. 

Figure 7: The NetZeroCities impact pathways, theory of change, monitoring, evaluation and framework with indicators. (Source: NetZeroCities)
 

Through this holistic approach that includes regular monitoring, evaluation systems and completion of the feedback loop through learning and innovation, the EU is enhancing the sustainability of the energy, mobility, and construction sectors. At the same time, it is also aggregating valuable city-centred data which will be needed to support much-needed energy efficiency improvements and environmental innovations in the future.

Conclusions

In conclusion, the EU-funded research projects in the aviation, maritime, construction, and urban renovation sectors are showcasing innovative ways to collect and log critical environmental data. These projects are providing the EU with the tools needed to assess whether it is on track to meet its climate goals. By enabling real-time monitoring and detailed simulations, they also offer the potential to test various interventions and introduce novel solutions when targets are at risk of being missed. Using an evidence-based approach, this capability will be invaluable in fine-tuning Europe's policy development in the energy transition.

Policymakers will be closely observing these innovations to evaluate their potential for reshaping how we monitor and report environmental outcomes. If successful, these advancements could transform regulatory compliance, offering a more dynamic, responsive approach to tracking emissions and air quality in real-time, rather than relying on generalised estimates or static reporting.

Once these projects are complete, the tools and practices developed will not only be available to policymakers but also to owners and operators of ports, airports, and buildings. These stakeholders will be able to gain deeper insights into the relative costs and environmental benefits of various decarbonisation technologies, helping them make informed decisions about future investments and operational strategies.