eu cleantech
quarterly briefing
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2q23

EU Cleantech Defies Global Headwinds

Welcome to your Quarterly EU Cleantech Briefing

SUZANA CARP
Deputy Executive Director
European cleantech continues to deliver! EU cleantech investment outperformed both the US and Asia Pacific, with deal sizes increasing notably and late-stage investment doubling since last quarter, despite slightly fewer deals taking place overall.

​​Cleantech deals are happening in more European Union Member States than ever, with deal distribution growing both since last quarter and over last year’s average. This demonstrates that cleantech’s continued growth is not only a once-in-a-generation opportunity for France, Germany or Sweden, but for all of Europe,  from the Atlantic to the Black Sea.

​​While the numbers do look good for Europe quarter-over-quarter, particularly when compared to other economies, the global contraction of venture capital at large since last year leaves EU cleantech VC investment 39% lower in the first half of 2023 than it was in the same period last year.​​

The continued resilience of cleantech innovators and investors should be read as a call to action. Right now, policymakers in Brussels are charged with delivering the Green Deal Industrial Plan, at a time when sustainable policy comes under threat. ​​

Indeed, despite pushback against the 2035 ban on internal combustion engines, investments moved ahead into next generation vehicles. In fact, EV charging infrastructure topped this quarter's biggest deals. This goes to prove that we need strong policy signals and ambitious climate commitments to continue to attract investment in European cleantech.


While investments have continued to move ahead, securing an ambitious EU Green Deal is vital to keep money flowing into the innovative technologies and companies that can ensure Europe achieves its climate goals while reaping the economic rewards of the green transition. The current set of files moving through the institutions must be designed for maximum effect to achieve their stated purpose of enabling the scale-up of clean technologies.

The historic opportunity that the cleantech transition presents us with is rapidly shrinking. Time is of the essence, as the next 18 months could make or break the EU's chance to be the global leader in this sector. Therefore, if EU institutions allow the laser focus of the Net-Zero Industry Act on cleantech to be broadened to the whole economy, polluters included, we risk squandering our competitiveness in the global cleantech race.

Furthermore, Europe needs to mobilise several times more public funding than what is offered in the Commission’s confusing and less than adequate Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP) proposal. If STEP does not deliver predictable and sufficient amounts of public funding for cleantech while preserving the integrity of the single market, private investment won’t be unlocked at a level even close to what’s needed to deploy net-zero technologies at an economy wide scale. An EU Sovereignty Fund providing dedicated financial support to strategic cleantech sectors for a net-zero economy is crucial for securing Europe’s competitiveness and resilience.

This is not a time for business as usual – nor for lowered ambition. Instead, policymakers must step up their game, and ensure that the 2020s do not become European cleantech’s lost decade.

Executive Summary

Late-stage investment increased by 104% on last quarter, even though deal volume increased by just 2.9%
Deal volume decreased slightly, while amounts invested increased substantially
Early-stage investment increased by 5.9% on last quarter, while deal volume decreased by 5.8%. Hence, average EU deal sizes increased across both early-stage and late-stage deals
Cleantech venture capital deals took place across 19 out of 27 EU Member States, compared to 18 last quarter and an average of 17 per quarter in 2022
We take stock of this year’s policy developments thus far
The Green Deal Industrial Plan, with its constituent Acts, the Net-Zero Industry Act, the Critical Raw Materials Act and the reform of the Electricity Market Design
The Latest News on the Strategic Technologies for Europe Plan
The final parts of the Fit for 55 Package: the EPBD, the Ecodesign Regulation and the Energy Taxation Directive
Green Transport Package, Battery Regulation
Nature-positive laws such as the Nature Restoration Law and Soil Monitoring
Cleantech-related investment policy such as the FASTER Directive on taxation, Sustainability Reporting Standards and the Sustainable Finance Package
Of the top 10 largest deals in Q2, two were in EV charging, two were EV in charging station operation, and one was in EV battery manufacturing
The EU has for years led North America in EV sales, but this leadership has not always translated to VC investment in EV charging. While Europe appears to have charged ahead of North America in Q2, a comprehensive industrial strategy is needed to maintain this lead
Read our innovator spotlight on EV fast-charging solutions company Jolt Energy
Focus on key strategic cleantech sectors classified at technological readiness level (TRL) 8 or above. These technologies can be rapidly scaled within the next five years to support economy wide decarbonisation by ensuring availability of equipment to deliver cross-sectoral deployment
Propose clear objectives for each strategic cleantech sector over the next five years (e.g., manufacturing targets)
Earmark and mobilise capital to accelerate the development and deployment of strategic cleantech sectors and send clear demand signals
Create a European wide financing leg for the Green Deal Industrial Plan that promotes European wide competitiveness
Create at-scale supply chains and support infrastructure for strategic cleantech sectors

01

Q2 2023: a strong quarter for EU cleantech investment

€2.8
billion

invested in EU Cleantech in Q2 2023

Deal volume decreased slightly, while amounts invested increased substantially in defiance of expectations.
Note: Regular readers will notice a slight change in the 2020 investment total (from 4.5 to 4.4 billion EUR) and Q1 2023 investment total (from 1.9 billionn to 1.8 billion EUR).

Investment into EU cleantech
defies global headwinds

European cleantech investment defied global headwinds for venture capital (VC), growing stronger than in North America, while cleantech investment in Asia Pacific fell
The number of deals closed fell slightly from 172 to 165. Late-stage deals volume stayed flat (from 35 to 36) whereas early-stage deal volume declined from 137 to 129
Late-stage investment (series B and growth equity) grew the most, increasing by 104% on last quarter, even though deal volume increased by just 2.9%. Early-stage investment increased by 5.9% on last quarter, while deal volume decreased by 5.8%. Hence, average EU deal sizes increased across both early- and late-stage deals
Despite this resilience, EU cleantech investment in the first half of 2023 was 39% lower than in the first half of 2022. This reflects the global contraction of venture capital compared to last year
EU27 Cleantech Seed, Series A, Series B and Growth investment, 2018 – Q2 2023
EU27 Cleantech Venture and Growth deals by stage, 2018 - Q2 2023

Q2 deal distribution:
geography & sector

Cleantech venture capital deals took place in 19 out of 27 EU member states, compared to 18 last quarter and a quarterly average of 17 in 2022. This shows that - despite a concentration of activity in Western and Northern Europe - cleantech continues to become a growth opportunity for an increasing number of Member States.
Looking at the deal count, the most active countries were Germany, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Spain and Finland. Germany dramatically expanded its lead this quarter, after having been neck and neck with France in Q1.
Energy & Power sector innovation garnered the largest share of investments again this quarter (41%), while Transportation & Logistics showed the greatest growth, garnering 27% of EU investment (compared to 12% last quarter).
Strong traction for enabling technologies as well as vehicles, technologies and services that move people and goods with zero or low emissions, or in a more resource-efficient way.
Deals by Member State, Q2 2023
EU cleantech VC investment by sector, Q2 2023
Q12024_early_Sensors
Sensors
France
€15M
€15M
Q12024_early_Alternativeproteins
Alternative proteins-Q124
Germany
€15M
€15M
Q12024_early_wastemanagementq124
Waste management-q124
France
€21M
€21M
Q12024_early_industrialmaterials
Industrial Materials
France
€23M
€23M
Q12024_early_carbonremovals
Carbon Removals
Germany
€25M
€25M
Q12024_early_energystorage
Energy Storage
Finland
€26M
€26M
Netherlands
€15M
€15M
Q12024_early_transportation
Transportation
Croatia
€99M
€99M
Austria
€20M
€20M
Italy
€15M
€15M
AB2023_early_Construction
Construction
Germany
€45M
€45M
AB2023_early_Hydrogen Fuel Cells
Hydrogen Fuel Cells
France
€46M
€46M
AB2023_early_Nuclear fission
Nuclear fission
France
€50M
€50M
AB2023_early_Supply chain Logistics
Supply chain & Logistics
Germany
€50M
€50M
AB2023_early_EV Charging
EV Charging
Germany
€70M
€70M
AB2023_early_Heat pumps
Heat pumps
Sweden
€86M
€86M
AB2023_early_Carbon Management
Carbon Management
Germany
€100M
€100M
AB2023_early_Green IT
Green IT
France
€100M
€100M
France
€90M
€90M
AB2023_early_Electric Vehicles
Electric Vehicles
France
200M
200M
3Q23__Others__Logistics
Transportation & Logistics
Germany
€177M
€177M
3Q23__Others__Hydro
Green Hydrogen
Germany
€169
€169
Netherlands
€130M
€130M
3Q23__Others__CRM
Critical Raw Materials
Ireland
€184
€184
3Q23__Others__Plastic
Plastic Alternatives
Netherlands
€338M
€338M
Germany
€130M
€130M
3Q23__Others__Energy
Energy & Power
Germany
€685M
€685M
3Q23__Others__EV
EV Batteries
Sweden
1100M
1100M
France
€650
€650
France
€600M
€600M
3Q23__Late__Energy
Energy & Power
Sweden
€45M
€45M
3Q23__Late__Hydro
Green Hydrogen
Portugal
€61M
€61M
3Q23__Late__Agri
Agriculture & Food
Belgium
€72M
€72M
Netherlands
€32M
€32M
3Q23__Late__Solar
Solar
Lithuania
€93M
€93M
3Q23__Late__Construction
Buildings & Construction
France
€106M
€106M
Ireland
€26M
€26M
Netherlands
€25M
€25M
3Q23__Late__EV
EV Batteries
France
€850M
€850M
3Q23__Late__Steel
Green Steel
Sweden
€1500M
€1500M
3Q23__Early__Geo
Geospatial Imagery
Germany
€17M
€17M
3Q23__Early__Transportation
Transportation & Logistics
Germany
€18M
€18M
Spain
€16M
€16M
3Q23__Early__Quantum
Quantum Computing
France
€19M
€19M
3Q23__Early__Energy
Energy & Power
Germany
€25M
€25M
3Q23__Early__Agriculture
Agriculture & Food
Denmark
€30M
€30M
3Q23__Early__Plastic
Plastic Alternatives
Germany
€36M
€36M
Finland
€23M
€23M
3Q23__Early__Construction
Buildings & Construction
Germany
€45M
€45M
Germany
€22M
€22M
2Q23__Late__Carbon
Carbon Management
Luxembourg
€34M
€34M
2Q23__Late__Agri
Agriculture
France
€162
€162
2Q23__Late__EV
EV Charging
France
€252M
€252M
Germany
€153M
€153M
Finland
€66M
€66M
Ireland
€57M
€57M
2Q23__Late_Energy
Energy, Energy Storage & Networks
Germany
€433
€433
Germany
€370M
€370M
Sweden
€90M
€90M
Italy
€41M
€41M
2Q23__Early__Electro
Electronic Devices
Germany
€20M
€20M
2Q23__Early__Biotech
Biotechnology
Germany
€20M
€20M
2Q23__Early__Construction
Buildings, Building Materials & Construction
France
€29M
€29M
France
€20M
€20M
2Q23__Early__Logistics
Transportation, Supply Chain & Logistics
Germany
€41M
€41M
Germany
€29M
€29M
France
€21M
€21M
Austria
€18M
€18M
2Q23__Early__Green-IT
Green IT
France
€91M
€91M
2023-Q1-chart__series-B__geo
Geothermal
France
€45M
€45M
2023-Q1-chart__series-B__waste
Waste Management
Netherlands
€50M
€50M
2023-Q1-chart__series-B__agrifood
Agriculture & Food
Denmark
€65M
€65M
Denmark
€47M
€47M
2023-Q1-chart__series-B__buildings
Buildings & Construction
Austria
€93M
€93M
Germany
€44M
€44M
2023-Q1-chart__series-B__blockchain
Blockchain
No items found.
2023-Q1-chart__series-B__solar
Solar
Germany
€215M
€215M
Italy
€117M
€117M
Sweden
€29M
€29M
2023-Q1-chart__series-A__solar
Solar
Ireland
€15M
€15M
2023-Q1-chart__series-A__heatpumps
Heat Pumps
Netherlands
€15M
€15M
2023-Q1-chart__series-A__fusion
Nuclear Fusion
France
€15M
€15M
2023-Q1-chart__series-A__energy
Energy & Power
Slovakia
€16M
€16M
2023-Q1-chart__series-A__agrifood
Agriculture & Food
Netherlands
€21M
€21M
2023-Q1-chart__series-A__geospatial
Geospatial imagery
Latvia
€28M
€28M
2023-Q1-chart__series-A__transportation
Transportation and Logistics
Germany
€42M
€42M
France
€21M
€21M
Germany
€15M
€15M
2023-Q1-chart__series-A__buildings
Buildings
Sweden
€42M
€42M
2023-Q1-chart__series-A__carbon-management
Carbon Management
Germany
€101M
€101M
2022-Q3-chart__transportation-logistics
Transportation & Logistics
Belgium
€20M
€20M
2022-Q3-chart__carbon-management-02
Carbon Management
Sweden
€45.7M
€45.7M
Germany
€10.9M
€10.9M
2022-Q3-chart__food-waste
Food waste
Sweden
€65.7M
€65.7M
2022-Q3-chart__energy-services
Energy Services
Germany
€214.7M
€214.7M
2022-Q3-chart__green-steel
Green steel
Sweden
€297.8M
€297.8M
2022-Q3-chart__advanced-materials
Advanced Materials, Fuels & Chemicals
Netherlands
€15.1M
€15.1M
Denmark
€11.7M
€11.7M
Netherlands
€11.2M
€11.2M
Denmark
€10.2M
€10.2M
2022-Q3-chart__alternative-proteins
Alternative Proteins
France
€16.8M
€16.8M
Finland
€15.3M
€15.3M
2022-Q3-chart__energy
Energy, Energy Storage & Networks
Netherlands
€30.5M
€30.5M
France
€13.9M
€13.9M
Netherlands
€12.3M
€12.3M
2022-Q3-chart__electric-vehicles-02
Electric Vehicles
Germany
€50.3M
€50.3M
2022-Q3-chart__supply-chain-logistics
Supply Chain & Logistics
Germany
€153.7M
€153.7M
2022-Q3-chart__crop-inputs-02
Crop Inputs
Slovenia
€14.5M
€14.5M
2022-Q3-chart__biomass-waste
Biomass & waste to energy
Germany
€37.7M
€37.7M
2022-Q3-chart__fuel-cells
Fuel Cells
Denmark
€54.4M
€54.4M
2022-Q3-chart__electric-vehicles
Electric Vehicles
Netherlands
€159.7M
€159.7M
2022-Q3-chart__hydrogen
Hydrogen
Germany
€271.3M
€271.3M
2022-Q3-chart__agriculture-food
Agriculture & Food
France
€485.3M
€485.3M
2022-Q3-chart__carbon-management
Carbon Management
Sweden
€11.6M
€11.6M
2022-Q3-chart__hvac
HVAC
Czech Republic
€15.7M
€15.7M
2022-Q3-chart__solar
Solar
Sweden
€22.9M
€22.9M
2022-Q3-chart__crop-inputs
Crop Inputs
France
€23.9M
€23.9M
2022-Q3-chart__construction
Construction
Spain
€37.9M
€37.9M
2022-Q3-chart__ev-charging
EV Charging
France
€180M
€180M
Denmark
€47.2M
€47.2M
Netherlands
€19.9M
€19.9M
Lithuana
€7.2M
€7.2M

Q2 Eu Cleantech
top deals and activities

(Seed and series A)

{{2Q23__Early__Green-IT}}

{{2Q23__Early__Logistics}}

{{2Q23__Early__Construction}}

{{2Q23__Early__Biotech}}

{{2Q23__Early__Electro}}

(Series B and Growth Equity)

{{2Q23__Late_Energy}}

{{2Q23__Late__EV}}

{{2Q23__Late__Agri}}

{{2Q23__Late__Carbon}}

investor news

€400m

Eurazeo announced the final closing of its Eurazeo Smart City Fund II at €400m exceeding the initial target. The fund is dedicated to new technologies and digital innovation for sustainable cities, targeting the key sectors of the low-carbon economy: renewable energy, advanced mobility, logistics, manufacturing and the built environment.

.

TotalEnergies sold most of its climate venture capital arm, TotalEnergies Ventures, to French VC firm Aster.

€93m

Pale blue dot has announced the close of its second fund at €93 million. Pale blue dot focuses on early-stage startups in Europe and the US that offer innovative solutions to tackle climate change.

€100m

Convent Capital announced the second closing of its AgriFood Growth Fund, which has now reached €100 million.

€30m

Managed by Rivage Investment, EUCLIDES has obtained €30 million in support from the European Investment Fund , backed by InvestEU, as a cornerstone investor.
EUCLIDES will mainly provide growth debt to companies specializing in innovative climate solutions across Europe.

€1.4b

Just Climate announced the closing of its inaugural fund, Climate Assets Fund I. The Fund raised €1.4 billion in institutional capital to invest in the highest impact climate solutions.

02

In focus: EV Charging

€150
million

raised by JOLT in growth equity to accelerate the implementation of a fast-charging network across European cities

The proliferation of EVs and EV charging infrastructure in combination with smart charging, vehicle to home (V2H) and vehicle to grid (V2G) technologies, is set to increase European grid flexibility and lower demand for imported fossil fuels, boosting energy security.

in focus
EV Charging

EU investment in EV charging was supercharged in the first half of 2023: Of the top 10 largest deals in Q2, two were in EV charging (DRIVECO and Jolt Energy), two were EV in charging station operation (Virta and Weev), and one was in EV battery manufacturing.
The energy crisis seems to have accelerated the traction of EV charging innovation funding in the EU. While the EU has for years led North America in EV sales shares, this leadership has not always translated to VC investment in EV charging.
While Europe appears to have charged ahead of North America in Q2, it needs a comprehensive industrial strategy – covering every stage of the EV value chain and innovation cycle – to sustain its lead.
For example, the US Infrastructure Law provides USD 7.5 billion for EV charging infrastructure, while the Inflation Reduction Act includes tax credits for critical minerals processing, battery manufacturing, EVs, and EV charging – driving strong growth in projects and investment.
Moreover, with Chinese manufacturers accounting for around 60% of the more than 10 million EVs sold globally last year, the potential for Chinese EV charging innovation and market share growth is not to be underestimated.
A pivotal piece of legislation here will be the EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act, which could support clean technologies that reduce the environmental impact of mining and processing and reduce virgin battery mineral demand through recovery, reuse and recycling.
VC investment in EV Charging: EU27 vs. North America, 2018 - H1 23

eu innovator profile

Jolt is a developer of EV fast-charging solutions for urban areas.
Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Munich, Germany.
Recently raised €150 million in growth equity to accelerate the implementation of a fast-charging network across European cities.
The EU paid Russia almost €140 billion for fossil fuels in the year following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including €83 billion for oil.
The proliferation of EVs and EV charging infrastructure in combination with smart charging, vehicle to home (V2H) and vehicle to grid (V2G) technologies, is set to increase European grid flexibility and lower demand for imported fossil fuels, boosting energy security.

03

Cleantech policy: mid-year review

Investing in a cleantech powered economy: the latest proposals of the European Commission

Critical parts of the Fit for 55 package; the series of legislative proposals aiming at reducing the EU’s net emissions by at least 55% by 2030, are being finalised

latest proposals of the European Commission

The green transition will see trillions of euros reallocated and invested in cleantech and infrastructure. The European Commission’s latest proposals aim to develop an enabling framework to channel the investments needed.

Towards fair and simpler taxation

On June 19, the European Commission published a proposal on Faster and Safer Relief of Excess Withholding Taxes (FASTER Directive).

The FASTER Directive introduces a common EU framework for the relief of excess withholding tax on cross-border investments with the aim to make the relief procedures faster, more efficient, and less costly.

Key provisions of the FASTER Directive include:
The creation of a common EU digital tax residence certificate to be issued by the investor’s residence state within one working day after a request is submitted
The obligation for Member States to set up a relief at source system or quick refund system (or a combination of both) to provide for relief from withholding tax
Next steps: Once adopted, Member States would have until December 31, 2026 to transpose the FASTER Directive in their national legislation and apply it from  January 1, 2027.​

Sustainability reporting standards

On July 31, the European Commission adopted the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). These standards will apply to both large EU and large non-EU companies with operations in the EU.​​

The standards include:​
General requirements (including explaining double materiality, the value chain and how to prepare and present sustainability information)
General disclosures (including on governance, strategy, and impact, risk and opportunity management, and metrics and targets)
Specific environmental disclosures, covering climate change, pollution, water and marine resources, biodiversity and ecosystems, and resources and the circular economy
Specific social disclosures, covering a company’s own workforce, workers in the value chain, affected communities and customers and end-users
Specific disclosures on business conduct
Next steps: The standards will now be passed along to the European Parliament and Council for a two-month scrutiny period, with implementation set to begin for some companies in the financial year 2024.​​​​​​

Sustainable finance package

On June 13, the European Commission unveiled a package of measures to build on and strengthen the EU sustainable finance framework.

The package includes the following:
A new EU Taxonomy Environmental Delegated Act including the technical screening criteria for the remaining four environmental objectives under the EU Taxonomy Regulation
Amendments to the EU Taxonomy Climate Delegated Act introducing technical screening criteria covering additional economic activities for the climate change mitigation and adaption objectives under the EU Taxonomy Regulation
Proposal for a Regulation on ESG rating activities
Non-binding guidance on the EU Taxonomy Regulation including a clarification on how Taxonomy-aligned investments can qualify as sustainable investments under the Sustainable Finance Disclosures Regulation
Non-binding recommendation on transition finance
Next steps: Once agreed, the Taxonomy amendments will enter into force and apply from January 2024. As regards the Regulation on ESG ratings, the European Institutions will discuss its final form during the coming months.

Latest updates
Making the EU fit for 55

The European institutions have finished negotiations on the majority of legislative files for Europe to achieve its 2030 climate goals. Below, we take stock of three files that are yet to be negotiated by the European institutions.

Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD)

Key provisions of the not yet finalized legislative proposal:
As of 2030, all new buildings must be zero-emission and, as of 2027, all new public buildings must also be zero-emission
Member States will have to introduce a scheme of “renovation passports.” These are renovation roadmaps for a specific building resulting from an on-site energy audit and fulfilling specific quality criteria and indicators established in dialogue with building owners
Member States will have to set up national databases for energy performance certificates of buildings which will also need to gather data related to building renovation passports and smart readiness indicators
There will be Minimum Energy Performance Standards on all classes of existing buildings, with exemptions for “hard to treat” or non-economic cases

Energy Taxation Directive

Key provisions of the not yet finalized legislative proposal:
Tax reductions for cleantech (i.e., electricity from renewable sources; electricity produced from combined environmentally friendly heat and power generation)
Fuels would be taxed according to their energy content and environmental performance rather than according to their volume
Designation of “renewables acceleration areas” with simplified and fast-tracked permitting for renewable energy projects
Fossil fuels used as fuel for intra-EU air transport, maritime transport and fishing would  no longer be fully exempt from energy taxation in the EU​

Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation​

Key provisions of the not yet finalized legislative proposal:
Product manufacturers will have to provide information on the environmental sustainability of products. Depending on the specific product, this can include information on recycled content, energy use, durability and reparability, etc.
The introduction of a digital product passport for in scope products to electronically register, process and share product-related information
relevant to their circularity and sustainability amongst supply chain businesses, authorities and consumer
The introduction of green public procurement criteria for products via additional legislative acts

Cleantech policy outlook
Mid-year review

A new technology fund of EUR 10 billion
to safeguard EU’s technological edge

If Europe wants to become the home of cleantech innovation, it must first become a “Europe of investments.” The European Commission’s  latest proposal to direct funding to strategic technologies, including cleantech, dubbed as Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform proposal, falls short of that promise.

A Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP)

STEP aims to increase the firepower of existing initiatives. It adds EUR 2.63 billion to the European Innovation Council (EIC), increases funding for the European Defence Fund up to EUR 1.5 billion, it asks for top-ups of up to EUR 3 billion to InvestEU and up to EUR 5 billion to the Innovation Fund   It also enables the EIC to provide equity-only to non-bankable SMEs and small mid-caps and regardless of whether they previously received other types of support from the EIC Accelerator
It creates an online portal centralizing all existing funding opportunities
Intended initially as a European Sovereignty Fund, STEP is only a declarative first step in this direction. The proposal lacks the needed clarity and predictability as to how a cleantech project can access streamlined EU funding. For instance, it does not change existing application processes, which have made the existing funding instruments hard to access for cleantech companies.

What we are missing

STEP is not a fund in and of itself. While it proposes topping up existing funding instruments, it is not clear how this makes funding easier to access for cleantech start- and scale-ups
STEP’s allocation of EUR 10 billion to existing funding instruments across tech sectors is not enough to support Europe’s cleantech transition, which would require dedicated focus and commitments to this technology pool. For comparison, the Inflation Reduction Act could dole out USD 1.2 trillion in subsidies and the DOE’s loan programs office alone has more than USD 400 billion in lending capacity
STEP risks further fragmentation of the internal market. With the relaxation of State aid rules, countries that cannot leverage their own economies to finance the cleantech transition will be at a significant disadvantage

Driving the difference:
the way to net-zero

In the cleantech economy, low-emission cars trains and trucks would own the roads. Europe is pressing ahead with greening its transportation rulebook.

Green Transport package

Key provisions of the draft legislative proposals:
It establishes a harmonised EU framework for accounting of greenhouse gas emissions of transport service to combat greenwashing
It allows for additional weight for vehicles with zero-emission technologies, as these tend to increase the weight of a vehicle
It lifts cross-border restrictions and mandates the use of built-in road detectors to check for weight infractions in an effort to reduce pollution

Battery Regulation​

Key provisions of the finalized legislative proposal:
It applies to almost all batteries, not just car batteries, including all waste portable batteries, industrial batteries, starting, lightning and ignition batteries and batteries for things such as electric bikes and e-scooters
It introduces a requirement before placing batteries on the EU market to conduct due diligence on associated environmental and social impacts in the supply chain with some exemptions for smaller operators
It puts forward an electronic battery passport and QR code providing mandatory information and labelling requirements on carbon footprint, battery components and recycled content

End-of-life vehicles (ELV) Regulation​

Key provisions of the draft
It aims to enhance the circular design of vehicles to achieve a minimum of 25% of recycled plastic used in vehicle manufacturing, with 25% of that coming from recycled ELVs
It mandates that manufacturers must develop a circularity strategy for all new vehicle models, outlining the actions that the manufacturer will take to ensure that treatment and handling of ELVs at the end of their life-cycle adheres to the new rules
It introduces a requirement for manufacturers to contribute financially to the expenses associated with the management and disposal of ELVs​

Europe’s next big challenge:
Becoming nature positive

With natural capital being rapidly depleted, a set of European Commission’s proposals focus on nature’s own potential to regulate climate and maintain a diverse and thriving biosphere.

New Genomic Techniques proposal

Key provisions of the draft legislative proposal:
It fosters the development, use and monitoring of New Genomic Techniques (NGTs). NGTs are tools to change the genetic material of an organism to create improved plant varieties that are climate and pest resilient
It establishes two categories of plants developed using NGTs: those plants that are comparable to naturally occurring or conventional plants, and others with more complex genetic modifications
The plans that are comparable to conventional plants will need to be notified to regulators before reaching the market
The plants with more complex genetic modifications will be subject to more extensive authorization, traceability, and labelling requirements

Nature Restoration Law

Key provisions of the draft legislative Commission proposal:
It aims to restore nature in the EU with binding targets
It envisages an overall increase of biodiversity in agricultural and forest ecosystems, with positive trends for key species and minerals
It introduces the obligation for Member States to develop National Restoration Plan laying out their vision on how they would deliver on the proposal’s targets

Soil Monitoring

Key provisions of the draft legislative proposal:
It lays down rules on sustainable soil management and remediation of contaminated sites
It mandates Member States to establish soil districts and appoint competent national authorities to monitor them
It requires Member States to identify potentially contaminated sites, map them in a public register, investigate those sites and address unacceptable risk for human health and the environment

Critical Minerals Market Review 2023

The transition to a cleantech economy is metal-intensive. On July 11, the International Energy Agency (IEA) published a report tracking supply, demand, and investment trends for the minerals required to build electric vehicles, wind turbines and other clean technologies.

Main findings

The market for energy transition minerals - the IEA report focuses on lithium, cobalt, copper, nickel, graphite, and rare earths - reached USD 320 billion in 2022
Overall investment for critical minerals rose by 30% in 2022, following a 20% increase in 2021​
Lithium- the mineral that is widely used in batteries for EVs and energy storage systems - saw the sharpest increase in investment​
The report highlights how China continues to dominate processing and refining of most critical minerals, while also dominating the extraction of rare earths and graphite​

Cleantech transition

The record deployment of technologies like batteries and solar PV is driving the unprecedented growth in the critical minerals markets
Critical minerals start-ups raised a record USD 1.6 billion in 2022
The IEA outlined that the “affordability and speed of energy transitions” will depend on the availability of critical mineral supplies
The supply of critical minerals will be sufficient to support national climate pledges this decade if all critical mineral projects currently under planning worldwide are successfully realized

Greening the recovery:
Did COVID-19 accelerate the green transition?

On June 27, the OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation published a report taking stock of 1166 funding measures taken by 51 countries and the European Union to support development and
diffusion of low-carbon technologies in the aftermath of COVID-19.

As the figures below from the report show, relatively too little public spending is going toward earlier stage spending covering R&D, demonstration, and pre-adoption – compared to more than 70% of the spending going toward the adoption of mature technologies – despite investments in emerging technologies driving down emissions more per Euro spent.

Evaluation of public spending is essential to identify gaps in Europe’s innovation system and support emerging cleantech through enhanced blended finance and greater stakeholder collaboration.

Main findings

USD 1.29 trillion of public funding has been invested at low carbon technologies (such as renewable energy, electric vehicles or insulation material, green hydrogen, carbon capture and storage, etc.) across 51 countries
These investments are projected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at alarmingly low rates by 9% in 2030 and 11% in 2050
The large majority of the spending (73%) was allocated to deploy mature technologies
9% of all public funding has been allocated to emerging technologies across all regions, with hydrogen being the technology to receive most of the funding amounting to USD 49.5 billion. Hydrogen has been the main priority, especially in the US, France and Germany
Post-COVID low-carbon spending falls short of what is needed to bridge the investment gap to reach net zero by 2050

EU vs the rest of the world

Transportation and energy received the majority of public funding in all regions
North America (Canada, Mexico and United
States) allocated 52% of public funding to the energy sector. This funding is mainly intended to support energy production, particularly via renewables and nuclear energy
In the EU, 35% of the funds are allocated to the transport sector, in particular rail networks, public transportation and electric vehicles
The EU stands out as the region with the greatest focus on the buildings sector, with 25% of their total funding allocated to the sector
Most of the funding targeted at emerging technologies comes from North America, with USD 28.5 billion for
hydrogen, USD 16.6 billion for smart grids and USD 16.1 billion for carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS)
Spending by innovation stage as a percentage of total low-carbon technology support
Cumulative emissions reductions per dollar of RD&D vs adoption support

04

Writing Europe’s cleantech story

what is still missing

Writing Europe’s cleantech story:
What is still missing?

Closing the cleantech funding gap

The EU is a powerhouse at funding the research and development of clean technologies. However, we repeatedly fail to finance the scale-up of production capacity of technologies that have reached TRL 8. The Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform fails to address this gap. Why? It proposes to redirect EUR 10 billion existing funds to inject into deep tech, digital biotech and cleantech. However, it is not clear how much funding is available for clean technologies.

Creating clear demand signals

Mobilizing market demand is crucial to scaling up cleantech manufacturing. Setting clear and binding manufacturing targets for the eight strategic technology sectors that the European Commission proposed Net-Zero Industry Act focuses on, will signal to investors and project developers that they should scale up and industrialise in the EU.

Redesigning the electricity market

The revision of the EU’s Electricity Market Design is an indispensable opportunity to accelerate the commercialization and deployment of clean technologies. It is essential that the reform progressively lowers the carbon cap to phase out fossil fuel capacity providers, ends double charges on storage to level the playing field with fossil fuels, and establishes mandatory non-fossil flexibility support schemes.

Developing de-risking instruments

Instruments to mitigate real and perceived risk provide confidence to prospective customers, investors, and lenders. This in turn makes it easier for innovators to secure and put to work the funding they need to grow and succeed. For example, public guarantees could leverage private investment and provide a bridge to bankability by freeing up critical working capital to boost cleantech companies’ manufacturing capacity.

Fostering resilient supply chains

With its proposed Net-Zero Industry Act and Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), Europe has strived to reshore part of its cleantech supply chain after multiple shocks of the 2020s revealed several of its strategic vulnerabilities.
The EU has not responded with comparable incentives as the US has. The CRMA is missing new financial resources and dedicated provisions prioritizing technologies that reduce the environmental impact of mining and processing and reduce virgin CRM demand through recovery, reuse and recycling.

Enabling deep industrial decarbonisation

In light of the US’s Inflation Reduction Act and China’s dominance in clean technology supply chains, the European Commission’s choice to focus the Net-Zero Industry Act on scaling up the manufacturing of eight technologies is strategic. Maintaining the Net-Zero Industry Act’s focus on these 8 specific technologies would enable a deep industrial decarbonization since they are present across the deep decarbonisation pathways for heavy industry in Europe. If these technologies are not scaled up to a relevant extent in the 2020s, Europe runs the risk of heavy sectors in Europe not reaching their targets for reducing CO2 emissions.
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