Cleantech for Europe

📣 The Clean Industrial Deal shows EU getting serious about becoming the Home of Cleantech 📣   Earlier today, the European Commission unveiled the Clean Industrial Deal (CID), a landmark initiative to scale up and accelerate the deployment of Europe’s cleantech manufacturing sector. The CID sets out a strategy to boost demand, de-risking and private capital for cleantech in Europe.   Many tangible measures advocated for by over 100 cleantech leaders in an open letter sent to the Commission by Cleantech for Europe and its regional partners’ in January have been adopted into the EU’s plan. The CID delivers:   📈 Demand boost for EU Cleantech: the CID can create a strong demand signal through sustainability, resilience and EU preference criteria in EU public procurement, as well as incentivizing national and private procurement to use the same criteria. 💡 De-risking instruments: 3 new European Investment Bank (EIB) guarantee products announced: A Cleantech Guarantee Facility, a Counter Guarantee for SMEs to contract PPAs, and a Grid Manufacturing Counter Guarantee: Cleantech for Europe has long advocated for more public guarantees tools, and believe they can accelerate deployment of capital in the space 📃 New State Aid Rules will specifically target cleantech manufacturing, renewable energy and storage, offering more speed and predictability around authorized aid. It will also look specifically at speeding up de-risking tools by Member States such as cleantech guarantees. 💶 A top-up of Invest EU: the CID calls for increasing the EU guarantee facility, which the Commission projects could unlock up to EU 50 billion in private capital for cleantech scale-up. These funds will prioritize innovative companies, and particularly beneficial for cleantech start-ups and scale-ups through guarantee-type instruments. 🏦 A greater use of the EU Innovation Fund, and the creation of an Industrial Decarbonisation Bank. 🎯 A commitment that the upcoming Savings and Investment Union will focus on mobilizing private capital for decarbonisation and cleantech   European cleantech leaders from our Scale-up and Investor coalitions shared their perspectives Clean Industrial Deal.  Breakthrough Energy Ann Mettler Julia Reinaud Baseload Capital Alexander Helling cylib Lilian Schwich Energy Dome Claudio Spadacini Néolithe Quentin Laurens Nicolas Cruaud Planet A Ventures Lena Thiede REGA ENERGY Thomas Carrier Sunfire Nils Aldag Christopher Frey Stegra Henrik Henriksson Ola Hansén Xlinks Sven Heiligtag Cleantech for Iberia Cleantech for France Cleantech for Italy Tech for Net Zero Cleantech for Nordics Cleantech for Baltics Victor van Hoorn Jules Besnainou

🎉 A night to be remembered for European Cleantech 🔥 Yesterday, the Cleantech Friendship Group in the European Parliament re-launched for the 2024-2029 mandate with 32 MEPs joining the group, in the presence of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Congrats to the Co-Chairs of the Friendship Group Lídia Pereira and Thomas Pellerin-Carlin for their vision and leadership! Cleantech for Europe has the honor of supporting the secretariat of the Cleantech Friendship Group, with our partners #SustainablePublicAffairs.

📣 In the Press: Cleantech for Europe Responds to the Clean Industrial Deal 📣 Yesterday, the European Commission unveiled the Clean Industrial Deal (CID)– a decisive step toward strengthening Europe’s leadership in clean technology manufacturing and driving the industrial transition. The CID addresses the urgent need to scale up Europe’s clean technology sector amid intensifying global competition, setting out a clear strategy to boost industrial innovation, accelerate project deployment, and secure financial backing for green manufacturing. Following the Commission's press conference, our Director Victor van Hoorn has commented on the CID's implications for EU cleantech manufacturing: 📖 Financial Times Sustainable Views: https://lnkd.in/eW5SujQJ 📖 Euronews: https://lnkd.in/e4cdiC-2 Big thanks to Philippa Nuttall and Gregoire Lory for the coverage!

⚠️ Cleantech Reality Check: Is Europe Off-Track in Building Clean Industrial Capacity? ⚠️ As the EU prepares to launch its Clean Industrial Deal next week, the stakes couldn’t be higher for Europe's cleantech manufacturing base. Batteries, green steel, and electrolysers are critical for achieving climate goals, reaching energy independence, and securing industrial competitiveness. But are we on track to meet ambitious targets for deploying these technologies? The third Cleantech Reality Check, developed with Breakthrough Energy and featuring analyses by Systemiq Ltd., takes a hard look at the numbers, concluding EU cleantech manufacturing is at risk of going into reverse. The Executive Summary is below and you can access the full report here: https://lnkd.in/epVPKMVg 🔋 Battery Manufacturing: At Risk European #battery manufacturing faces fierce global competition, with costs materially higher than China's. Slowing EV demand and project cancellations threaten momentum. Urgent action is needed: EU-wide EV subsidies, procurement favouring EU-made batteries, and stronger recycling infrastructure. Without this, the 2030 production target is at risk. 🏭 Green Steel: Off Track Europe hosts over 50% of global low-carbon #steel projects, yet high hydrogen costs (€5–6/kg vs. €2–3/kg target) make green steel uncompetitive. Half of these projects face delays or cancellations due to policy uncertainty and weak demand signals. The EU must accelerate clean energy access, stimulate demand via green procurement, and strengthen carbon pricing to close the cost gap and meet 15–20 Mt low-carbon steel by 2030. ⚙️ Electrolyser Manufacturing: At Risk Europe leads in #electrolyser innovation, with ~9 GW/year capacity by 2025—enough to meet the 40 GW deployment target by 2030. But without a surge in low-carbon hydrogen demand, this capacity risks going underutilised. Strengthening hydrogen end-use markets like steelmaking and e-fuels is critical to unlocking Europe’s potential. The report identifies three policy levers that can help reverse this concerning trend: 1️⃣Scale Demand: Implement lead markets and stimulate demand to create viable markets for these crucial products,   2️⃣Close Cost Gaps: Bridge cost premiums with targeted support and derisking mechanisms, affordable clean energy, and streamlined permitting.  3️⃣Strengthen Supply Chains: Build domestic capacity for raw materials processing and recycling. Europe has the technological edge but without decisive action, it risks losing leadership to global competitors. Let’s turn ambition into reality! Maria Persson Gulda Stegra Lilian Schwich cylib Khouloud Karam Genvia Beth Deane Electric Hydrogen Christopher Frey Sunfire Irina Gorbounova ArcelorMittal Alice Vieillefosse GravitHy Ann Mettler Julia Reinaud Penelope Le Menestrel  Benoit Lemaignan Jules Besnainou Ruben Davis Philip Lake Abindra P. S. Alasdair Graham Eveline Speelman Laetitia de Villepin  

We’re joining 70+ companies in calling on the European Commission to urgently de-risk the scale-up of e-SAF production capacity to ensure success for ReFuelEU Aviation mandates. The private sector is ready to act, but key barriers are slowing progress—a lack of long-term revenue certainty, price risk, regulatory risk, and the challenges of first-of-a-kind projects. First-of-a-kind plants must reach Final Investment Decision by the end of 2025 to meet ReFuelEU sub-mandates starting in 2030. The EU has all the ingredients to lead on e-SAF—now it must act. Recently we've seen encouraging progress. In January a major milestone: the EU-Catalyst partnership announced up to €70M in funding for INERATEC to unlock a future of affordable clean aviation. The funding round was backed by a public-private parntership between Breakthrough Energy Catalyst and the European Investment Bank (EIB). The funding will support the development of Europe’s first large-scale commercial e-Fuel plant in Frankfurt, which will produce up to 2,500 tons of e-Fuels and e-Chemicals. To unlock investment, five key policy actions are needed: 1️⃣ Make e-SAF a strategic priority in the Clean Industrial Deal and the Sustainable Transport Investment Plan 2️⃣ Recycle ETS revenues from aviation to capitalise a market intermediary that enters long-term contracts with e-SAF producers and short-term contracts with offtakers 3️⃣ Establish a bridging mechanism in 2025 to support first movers before the intermediary comes online 4️⃣ Provide certainty on mandates, production criteria and penalties 5️⃣ Mitigate project-on-project risk via a government-backed backstop mechanism See the open letter developed by Project SkyPower here: https://lnkd.in/dQUA2Djv INERATEC Caspar Schuchmann Mario Fernandez Breakthrough Energy Irene Gálvez Tim Boeltken Maximilian Backhaus Ingo Katz Cody Evans, Nisha Patel Irene Gálvez Stephan Mitrakas Francois Gaudet

📽️ Interview: "The next 10 years are all about scale" 📽️ Our Executive Director Jules Besnainou spoke to our partners at Breakthrough Energy about the challenges and opportunities of scaling and industrializing clean technologies in the EU. He describes our mission of bridging the gap between innovators and investors and EU policymakers: "We represent the next generation of EU industry and help that generation to succeed." Check out the full interview below! Ann Mettler Julia Reinaud Philipp Offenberg Maria Leis Alberto Toril Castro Penelope Le Menestrel Mariano Berkenwald Alison Menon Megha Fernandes

📣 EU Cleantech’s Scale or Fail Moment: Read our 2024 Annual Briefing 📣 Cleantech for Europe’s Annual Briefing offers insights into the cleantech investment landscapes in 2024, as well as a preview of key policies that will shape the year ahead. Read it to discover more about: 📊 Cleantech investment trends across the EU 2024 marked the first significant decline in European cleantech VC investment in over a decade, underscoring the need for stronger public-private collaboration. Venture capital investment in cleantech fell by 24%, from €11.6 billion in 2023 to €8.8 billion in 2024. Despite this notable decline in equity investment, cleantech debt financing surged, totaling €23.4 billion—up from €7.9 billion in 2023. 🏭 Open letter to the European Commission on the Clean Industrial Deal Last week Cleantech for Europe alongside its regional partners sent an open letter signed by over 100 leading cleantech start-ups, scale-ups and investors calling for an ambitious Clean Industrial Deal to create an unprecedented demand surge and prioritise de-risking of strategic European technologies. Cleantech for Baltics Cleantech for France Cleantech for IberiaCleantech for Italy Cleantech for Nordics Tech for Net Zero 🧭Policy: what's to come in 2025 In 2024, the #Draghi and #Letta Reports made clear that bold and decisive action is required to secure our economic competitiveness and future prosperity. As European policymakers and institutions are increasingly aware, several indicators suggest the EU lags behind the US and China in building the industries of the future while helping us achieve our climate ambitions and creating millions of well-paid jobs. Policymakers, investors, and innovators must align this year to drive demand for clean technologies and unlock Europe’s €38 trillion pool of private capital. By prioritizing bold policies and targeted investments, we can ensure that Europe leads in building the industries of the future, creating millions of well-paid jobs and achieving our climate ambitions.

📰 In the Press Across Europe: Open Letter by 100+ Cleantech Leaders 📰 Last Thursday, alongside our partners at Cleantech for Baltics, Cleantech for Iberia, Cleantech for Italy, Cleantech for Nordics, Cleantech for France, and Tech for Net Zero, we shared an open letter signed by over 100 cleantech innovators and investors and addressed to the European Commission. The Signatories call on the Commission to deliver an ambitious Clean Industrial Deal that will drive the EU’s competitive decarbonisation and secure its leadership in clean technologies. Since publication, the open letter (linked in the comments below) has been covered in major media outlets across Europe: Der Tagesspiegel (Germany) https://lnkd.in/g7qkPX-A Thomas Wendel EL ESPAÑOL (Spain) https://lnkd.in/dFn9JeUN Beatriz Aznar Millán Financial Times Sustainable Views https://lnkd.in/gBktrWZs La Tribune (France) https://lnkd.in/gbxH6Ymg Dominique Pialot La Repubblica (Italy) https://lnkd.in/g8BV4qSW Impact Loop (Sweden) https://lnkd.in/gMGp6Ubt Gabriella Rocco Impact Loop (Sweden) https://lnkd.in/gMGp6Ubt Mattias Karen POLITICO Pro https://lnkd.in/gybPksmT Aude van den Hove Big thanks to the journalists and editors tagged above for helping us spread the word about our open letter!

📨 Open letter: 100+ Cleantech Leaders Urge European Commission for Bold Action in Clean Industrial Deal 📨 Today, over 100 leading cleantech innovators and investors from across Europe come together to call on the European Commission to deliver an ambitious Clean Industrial Deal that will drive the EU’s competitive decarbonisation and secure its leadership in clean technologies.  In an open letter to President Ursula von der Leyen and Commissioners Stéphane Séjourné; Teresa Ribera and Wopke Hoekstra, Europe’s #cleantech industry outlines the urgent need for bold action in 2025 to address the perfect storm of challenges facing Europe: geopolitical instability, higher #energy costs, and mounting global #competition. The forthcoming Clean Industrial Deal must focus on sending two decisive market signals:  📈 A demand surge for cleantech: helping industries become more competitive by adopting state-of-the-art cleantech, establishing lead markets, integrating innovation into public procurement, maintaining the ambition of the ETS and CBAM, and fostering fair trade policies.  💶 Targeted public de-risking mechanisms: Expanding EU funding and guarantees to act as signal towards Europe’s €38 trillion in private capital to unlock cleantech’s full potential. Public guarantees and counter guarantees (such as those under the Wind Package) are helping to unlock private financing and working capital for cleantech manufacturing while being fiscally efficient. The EU and European Investment Bank (EIB) should prioritise creating blended finance vehicles pooling institutional investor capital on a large scale to unlock credit instruments which are critical to scaling industries.     Europe already can point to pioneering stories like Energy Dome (long duration energy storage, Italy), Stegra (green steel, Sweden), Sunfire (electrolysers, Germany), and Verkor (battery gigafactories, France)—but we need many more. With the right policies in place, the Clean Industrial Deal can create a strong business case for cleantech scale-ups, transitioning industries, and a prosperous, sustainable future for all European citizens. This is why this letter is led by cleantech initiatives across Europe: Cleantech for Iberia Tech for Net Zero Cleantech for France Cleantech for Italy Cleantech for Nordics Cleantech for Baltics This is a make-or-break moment for Europe’s industry. The EU must leverage its cleantech edge to reach industrial leadership in the next decade. 📄 Read the full open letter and join us in shaping Europe’s clean industrial future: https://lnkd.in/e_8zcV3P AFYREN Atlas Agro Baseload Capital Battolyser Systems Build to Zero Circular Carbon CAPHENIA Climeworks CorPower Ocean cylib Daze DeepDrive Ecocem Global ecoLocked Electrochaea Electra FertigHy Genvia GravitHy GreenCap Solutions AS Greenlyte Carbon Technologies Heart Aerospace Hydrogenious LOHC HyperHeat

📣 Victor van Hoorn Joins Cleantech for Europe as our new Director 📣 We’re thrilled to announce that Victor van Hoorn has come aboard as our new Director for the EU program.  In his new role, he will oversee our research and advocacy towards EU Institutions and policymakers, advancing the policies necessary for scaling Europe’s burgeoning cleantech sector to achieve competitiveness and decarbonisation. Victor joins Cleantech for Europe at a pivotal moment. As the European Union faces a perfect storm of geopolitical uncertainty, rising energy costs, and economic challenges, we must seize the moment and leverage our cleantech leadership to achieve industrial competitiveness. 2025 must be the year in which the EU goes beyond diagnosing challenges to deliver actionable solutions. With Victor on board, we are doubling down on our commitment to push for policies that mobilize private capital, drive cleantech #innovation, and ensure Europe’s global #competitiveness. Victor is a Brussels veteran, having spent over 12 years in in different public affairs roles, most recently leading the European operations of the Investment Company Institute, representing the largest global asset managers, and before that being Executive Director of the Eurosif - The European Sustainable Investment Forum, focusing on the sustainable finance agenda. Victor brings with him deep knowledge of the political, policy and regulatory frameworks impacting capital markets, investors and financial institutions at a time when mobilizing private capital for cleantech is key for the EU’s competitiveness. He is a dual French/Dutch National and a lawyer by training. Cleantech for Europe’s Executive Director Jules Besnainou will continue to lead our broader efforts, but take a step back from the operations of the EU initiative to focus on building out the broader European Cleantech Movement, in particular coordinating efforts between Cleantech for Europe and the growing number of Regional Cleantech Initiatives across Europe:  Cleantech for Baltics, Cleantech for France, Cleantech for Iberia, Cleantech for Italy, Cleantech for Nordics, Cleantech for UK and Tech for Net Zero. Please join us in welcoming Victor to the team as we work towards a sustainable and prosperous future for Europe! Luís Rebelo Ruben Davis Dimitri Colin Zach Sporn