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In view of the current geopolitical situation, the EU and its Member States are accelerating efforts to reduce their dependency on fossil fuel imports, while simultaneously tackling the climate crisis. With heating in buildings accounting for a large share of the energy consumption in the EU, policies to phase-out fossil fuels for heating and to switch to renewables are key elements. In the context of the proposed actions to phase-out fossil fuels at EU level, this article provides a systematic analysis of current and planned phase-out regulations for fossil fuel boilers in the EU Member States. The paper quantifies the share of energy consumption for heating that is addressed by such regulations and finds that the current regulations only address about 10% of the total fossil energy consumption for heating in the EU. The share increases to almost 30% when considering the planned regulations, reflecting the fact that large energy consumers such as Germany and the Netherlands have announced such regulations. The analysis shows that several Member States with high energy consumption for heating have neither implemented nor announced plans to introduce phase-out regulations for fossil fuel heating. The study concludes that immediate policy action is needed both at EU and at Member State levels. At EU level, the proposed introduction of an end-date for stand-alone fossil fuel boilers needs to be substantiated and implemented into the legislative framework. At the national level, phase-out regulations for fossil fuel boilers need to be expanded both in quantity and scope. [Display omitted] • Systematic analysis of phase-out regulations for fossil fuel boilers in the EU. • Only 10% of the EU fossil energy used for heating is covered by phase-out regulations. • Including planned regulations, the share of heating energy covered by phase-out regulations increases to almost 30%. • Comparison of different approaches for implementing regulations for phasing out fossil fuel boilers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The growing demand for energy and the accelerating threats from climate change call for innovative and sustainable solutions to decrease dependency on fossil fuels. Biomass-based, small-scale Combined Cooling, Heating and Power (CCHP) systems are one of these solutions, because they can satisfy the energy demands of the consumer with enhanced flexibility, lower losses, less costs and less environmental pollution as compared to centralized facilities. Due to recent advances in several scientific subfields with relevance to small-scale CCHP, a rapidly increasing amount of literature is now available. Therefore, a structural overview is essential for engineers and researchers. This paper presents a review of the current investigations in small-scale CCHP systems covering biomass-fired concepts and solar extensions. To this end, critical system components are described and analysed according to their specific advantages and drawbacks. Recent case studies have been collected and key findings are highlighted according to each type of prime mover. The results indicate a scientific bias towards the economic viability of such systems and the need for real-life and experiment system data. However, the potential of biomass-fired CCHP systems and of such systems with solar extensions has clearly been recognised. Based on the results, future policy implementations should focus on fostering such systems in areas with high energy costs and to increase energy resilience in developed regions. Additionally research and industry applying novel prime mover technologies should be financially supported. Highlights • Small-scale, biomass-fired CCHP is gaining interest in science and industry. • Summary on biomass conversion, prime mover and cooling technologies. • The findings are put into context with current and future technology trends. • Entrepreneurial bias of scientist towards feasibility of CCHP systems. • Policies should promote CCHP in areas with high energy costs and low grid stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]