A new report predicts that 100 million new smart meters will be installed across Europe between now and the end of 2016 as nations continent-wide aim to achieve greater energy efficiency and increased reliance on renewable sources of energy.

According to GTM Research, European investment (more…)

The European Environment Agency (EEA) and Microsoft last week introduced a network of online sites that map air, water, and noise pollution levels across the continent based on government data and information uploaded by users.

The Eye on Earth network — unveiled during the (more…)

Greening the European Union has suffered a setback.

The European Biodiesel Board is reporting that the European Union biodiesel industry production forecasts are noting a 2011 decrease in output, the first since data has been gathered, down from 2010 figures of 9.57 million tons.

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It’s a commonly held perception that Europe leads the Western world with respect to energy efficiency. In many ways, it’s true. Europeans tend to live in smaller homes than Americans and are less fond of air conditioning and other energy-intensive equipment and appliances. The Passivhaus standard, which has (more…)

Europe has a challenge ahead, in terms of renewable energy targets. The UK government has signed up to a commitment which states that by 2020, 15% of energy production will come from renewable sources. Quite a target for any government to achieve, but in a climate where purse strings are being tightened, this challenge is ever more complex. However, the UK (more…)

What’s the only country in the world that generates 99% of its electricity from clean, carbon-neutral energy sources? If you guessed Iceland—a nation with a relatively tiny population but vast renewable energy resources—you’re right. Today almost all Iceland’s electricity comes from two renewable power sources: a system of dams fed by melting glacier water, and geothermal (more…)

Ten European countries, including Norway, have agreed to develop an offshore electricity grid at the North Sea, in a bold move that promoters say will give Europe the possibility of tapping into an even bigger source of energy than the Middle East’s oil capacity. Ministers from all the ten ‘North Seas Countries’ signed of a ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ on December 3 to (more…)

In a scramble for new sources of natural gas, European energy companies are increasingly turning to hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” a drilling technique that has generated controversy in the U.S. because of potential harmful environmental effects.

In Poland, Halliburton has constructed a well for the state-owned Polish Oil and Gas (more…)

The Directive 2010/31/EU on buildings’ energy performance approved this year opened new doors for manufacturers of urban wind turbines. The Directive urges European governments to elaborate laws that enforce the use of renewables in buildings and technologies that improve (more…)

The European Union has unveiled plans for a single European energy market, a 1 trillion-euro ($1.38 trillion) strategy to achieve energy security and cut fossil fuel emissions.

The 10-year plan would include upgrades (more…)