The Technology Map is one of the principal regular deliverables of SETIS. It is prepared by JRC scientists in collaboration with colleagues from other services of the European Commission and with experts from industry, national authorities and academia to provide: • a concise and authoritative assessment of the state of the art of a wide portfolio of low-carbon energy technologies; • their current and estimated future market penetration and the barriers to their large-scale deployment; • the ongoing and planned R&D and demonstration efforts to overcome technological barriers; • reference values for their operational and economic performance, which can be used for the modelling and analytical work performed in support of implementation of the SET-Plan. This fourth edition of the Technology Map, i.e. the 2013 update, addresses 22 different technologies, covering the whole spectrum of the energy system, including both supply and demand technologies, namely: Wind Power Generation, Solar Photovoltaic Electricity Generation, Concentrated Solar Power Generation, Hydropower, Geothermal Energy, Marine Energy, Cogeneration or Combined Heat and Power, Carbon Capture and Storage in Power Generation, Advanced Fossil Fuel Power Generation, Nuclear Fission Power Generation, Nuclear Fusion Power Generation, Smart Grids, Bioenergy - Power and Heat Generation, Biofuels for the Transport Sector, Fuel Cells and Hydrogen, Electricity Storage in the Power Sector, Energy Efficiency and CO2 Emission Reduction in Industry (The Cement Industry, The Iron and Steel Industry, The Pulp and Paper Industry), Heating and Cooling, Heat Pumps and Energy Performance of Buildings. Comparing the status of the low carbon technologies in the Technology Map 2011 and the Technology Map 2013 highlights the following distinguishable trends: • some types of renewable energy sources have added significant capacity (e.g. solar PV, onshore wind and biomass), whereas the development is slower for others (e.g. carbon capture and storage, marine energy and geothermal energy); • the lack of cost competitiveness compared to fossil fuels remains a key barrier for most low carbon technologies; • barriers to large-scale implementation of renewables have increased in some countries due to reduced financial support. In addition, the very low-carbon emission costs of the EU ETS are disadvantageous for low-carbon technologies versus fossil fuels; • the increasing share of variable renewables and their low operating costs reduce electricity costs, but discourage investments in conventional power production. This could disrupt the security of supply in the longer perspective if not addressed properly; • a stable regulatory framework providing a predictable investment environment is needed for most technologies.
