The missing piece in climate policy: renewable heating and cooling in Germany and the U.S.
This report focuses specifically on the topic of renewable energy for heating and cooling for two reasons. First, the heating and cooling sector contributes largely to energy consumption, and therefore the emission of greenhouse gases. Globally, heating and cooling accounts for an estimated 40-50% of final energy demand. In the United States, heating and cooling is estimated at a lower, but still significant, proportion of 20% of energy demand. Second, the topic of renewable heating and cooling provides a window of opportunity for both Europe and the U.S. to learn from each other on a transatlantic level. Renewable electricity aside, Europe is not that far ahead of the United States in promoting renewable energies for heating and cooling. Some EU member states have only recently began implementing policy measures for the promotion of renewable heating and cooling energies. Therefore, the time is right to draw attention to the missing piece in climate policies.