vision. network. impact.

Since December 2023, eclareon has been providing advisory support to a Slovakian umbrella association for the renewable sector called SAPI. Despite 2023 being declared the European Year of Skills, little or no effort has been made to address the challenge of the growing gap between market demand for green jobs and the country's current national educational and training capacity. Several players in the Slovak market, including the Slovak Association of Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heat Pumps and the Slovak Association of Photovoltaic Industry and RES (SAPI) itself, have frequently raised this issue. eclareon is stepping in to provide its international expertise on the socio-economic impacts associated with the wider deployment of renewable energy sources. Building on national data to be collected through a business survey and expert interviews, eclareon's task is to provide best estimates of direct and indirect employment effects linked to solar PV, onshore wind and heat pump deployment. Furthermore, in view of the forthcoming Final Update of the National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP), a likely gap will be reckoned on the basis of the detailed calculations on specific categories of direct green jobs, including STEM ones.

CAN Europe released the ‘Overcoming barriers for renewable energy deployment in the Western Balkans: The case of North Macedonia and Serbia’ study that eclareon researchers Ana Stojilovska and Marko Kolovrat developed during the summer and autumn of 2023. The study published on 23 January highlights that both countries have made progress in establishing institutional and legislative frameworks aimed at boosting the deployment of RES, but challenges persist. A lack of political will, intricate administrative processes, and insufficient governance planning within the energy sector all hinder the efficient deployment of renewable sources. Recommendations articulated range from good governance to addressing energy poverty provide guidance for further steps to enable these countries in meeting their net zero targets in a swift and just manner. Further dissemination events are to follow in the coming months.

The Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue (BETD) is one of the most important international conferences on the global energy transition. Around 50 delegations and more than 2000 international decision-makers from the business and science communities and civil society from over 130 countries commune every year at the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin. In 2024, eclareon is again taking part in organising the event, getting ready for its 10th edition. Against the backdrop of COP28 decisions, where the global community committed to accelerating the energy transition to achieve the 1.5°C target, the BETD aims to facilitate discussions on concrete measures and cooperation. The goal is to triple renewable energy capacity globally and increase the global average annual rate of energy efficiency improvements by 2030. However, ambitious energy transition targets are only as good as their implementation. The German Government wants to shape and accelerate this in a spirit of international cooperation. On 19 and 20 March, discussions will be held on how to accelerate the expansion of renewable energies and exploit the full potential of the global energy transition. At the same time, the creation of sustainable growth, a socially just transformation, jobs and energy security are at the top of the conference agenda. For more information, visit the conference website: https://www.energydialogue.berlin/