Unlocking the Potential of Industrial Symbiosis: Strategies for Sustainable Project Development

The EU Energy Efficiency Directive sets binding targets to reduce energy use by 2030 and introduces measures across sectors for energy savings, prioritizing efficiency, sustainability, and enhanced energy security for European citizens and businesses, requiring member states to implement various efficiency strategies and reporting mechanisms.

The European Investment Bank Group, with European Commission support, will provide €17.5 billion in financing for over 350,000 European SMEs to enhance energy efficiency, nearly doubling current aid, aiming for a total investment of over €65 billion by 2027.

The study explores how digitalization enhances operational performance in Indonesia's food and beverage sector, stressing improvements in quality, productivity, and cost efficiency through technologies like IoT, robotics, cloud computing, and blockchain.

The paper emphasizes the importance of energy efficiency in European SMEs, which are crucial to the continent's economy and competitiveness. The EU-funded DEESME 2050 project highlights the potential benefits of improving energy performance in the furniture industry. Investments and policy implementation must accelerate to meet the EU's 2030 climate goals, and new initiatives like EEEFC aim to support this transition. Financial intermediaries are identified as vital for SMEs to access funds, leveraging experiences from organizations like EEIP and state-owned banks to facilitate this process.

In 2024, global electric vehicle (EV) sales exceeded 17 million, a significant increase from 2020 totals. China's electric car sales hit 11 million, driving affordability and adoption worldwide. Battery cost reductions and technological advancements improved EV competitiveness, while the expansion of charging infrastructure supported the growing EV market. Electric commercial transport also gained momentum, with electric trucks becoming more economically feasible. Projections suggest EVs will continue to grow, reaching substantial market shares globally by 2030.

By 2030, AI will necessitate a $7 trillion investment in data centers, driven by widespread AI adoption and geopolitical priorities. The demand for specialized compute hardware and energy-intensive AI workloads is creating significant power and supply chain challenges, emphasizing the need for efficiency, renewable energy, and advanced demand forecasting.

The European Commission issued guidelines to aid EU member states in adopting the Energy Efficiency Directive by October 2025. Recommendation 2024/2002 promotes an integrated approach to energy audits, management systems, and sustainability reporting, supporting compliance with broader EU directives.

From 2019 to 2025, global energy investment shifted dramatically towards clean energy, with investments doubling and surpassing fossil fuels. Solar power, driven by cost declines and technological advances, became the largest investment segment. However, while investment in renewables aligned with climate goals, grid investments lagged, creating bottlenecks. Surprisingly, AI data centers increased demand for reliable baseload power, reviving interest in nuclear and gas. Distributed solar grew in emerging markets independently of policy, reshaping economic dynamics, yet clean energy deployment remained unequal globally.

The paper discusses the rapid global adoption of electric vehicles (EVs), driven by falling battery costs, government incentives, and a growing commitment to environmental sustainability. Advances in technology, like solid-state batteries and Vehicle-to-Grid systems, are enhancing EV capabilities and integration into energy grids. Despite challenges like charging infrastructure and ethical material sourcing, EVs are increasingly seen as crucial for cleaner transportation and climate change mitigation, impacting energy systems, creating new economic opportunities, and transforming urban environments.