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Direct air capture (DAC) is considered one of the mitigation strategies in most of the future scenarios trying to limit global temperature to 1.5 °C. Given the high expectations placed on DAC for future decarbonisation, this study presents an extensive review of DAC technologies, exploring a number of techno-economic aspects, including an updated collection of the current and planned DAC projects around the world. A dedicated analysis focused on the production of synthetic methane, methanol, and diesel from DAC and electrolytic hydrogen in the European Union (EU) is also performed, where the carbon footprint is analysed for different scenarios and energy sources. The results show that the maximum grid carbon intensity to obtain negative emissions with DAC is estimated at 468 gCO2e/kWh, which is compliant with most of the EU countries' current grid mix. Using only photovoltaics (PV) and wind, negative emissions of at least −0.81 tCO2e/tCO2 captured can be achieved. The maximum grid intensities allowing a reduction of the synthetic fuels carbon footprint compared with their fossil-fuels counterparts range between 96 and 151 gCO2e/kWh. However, to comply with the Renewable Energy Directive II (REDII) sustainability criteria to produce renewable fuels of non-biological origin, the maximum stays between 30.2 to 38.8 gCO2e/kWh. Only when using PV and wind is the EU average able to comply with the REDII threshold for all scenarios and fuels, with fuel emissions ranging from 19.3 to 25.8 gCO2e/MJ. These results highlight the importance of using renewable energies for the production of synthetic fuels compliant with the EU regulations that can help reduce emissions from difficult-to-decarbonise sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Green Deal was published at the end of 2019 and represents EU's biggest action to reach climate neutrality. The European Recovery Fund was presented in July 2020 as a response to the COVID-19 crisis. This study looks at the role that photovoltaics could play to support the successful implementation of these initiatives, in particular in regard to the increased climate ambition. The European Commission proposal of September 2020 (55% emission reduction in 2030 compared to 1990) and the European Parliament proposal that followed soon after (−60%), have changed the level of greenhouse gas reduction ambitions. Energy system modelling shows that achieving the updated targets will require large quantities of renewables deployed at an unprecedented pace. Over the past 10 years solar PV has achieved the technological and market maturity to spearhead EU efforts to reach the energy and climate targets. The paper looks at future projections of solar PV deployment, also considering ongoing sectorial policies (e.g. the EU hydrogen strategy, the building renovation wave) and overarching aims for system integration and a just transition. • The European Green Deal increased climate ambition and the need for renewables. • Photovoltaics need to be deployed in high rates to reach the updated targets. • Until 2030, 21–22 GW of PV is needed annually in EU to decrease emissions by 55%. • PV deployment rates increase to 26–32 GW annually to reach −60% emissions. • Green Deal's initiatives (H2 strategy, renovation wave) may increase projections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Paris Agreement has underlined the role of cities in combating climate change. The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM) is the largest international initiative dedicated to promoting climate action at a city level, covering globally over 10 000 cities and almost half the population of the European Union (EU) by end of March 2020. The fifth Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report notes that there is a lack of comprehensive, consistent datasets of cities' greenhouse gas (GHG) emission inventories. In order to partly address this gap, we present a harmonised, complete and verified dataset of GHG inventories for 6200 cities in European and Southern Mediterranean countries, signatories of the GCoM initiative. To complement the reported emission data, a set of ancillary data that have a direct or indirect potential impact on cities' climate action plans were collected from other datasets, supporting further research on local climate action and monitoring the EU 27 (the 27 member states of the EU) progress on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 13 on climate action. The dataset (Kona et al., 2020) is archived and publicly available with the DOI 10.2905/57A615EB-CFBC-435A-A8C5-553BD40F76C9. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]