Page 40 - European Energy Innovation - autumn 2018 publication

40 Autumn 2018 European Energy Innovation
RENEWABLE ENERGY FRAMEWORK
A new framework for
renewable energy in Europe
for the coming decade
Sufficient enough to reach the goals of the EU and the Paris Agreement?
By Dirk Hendricks, Senior Policy Advisor, European Renewable Energies Federation (EREF) (pictured)
In the early hours of June 14th
2018, the lead negotiators of
the European Commission,
the European Parliament and
the Council finally managed to
conclude a deal on the development
framework for renewable energies for
the period 2020-2030.
The deal includes many important
points which can be beneficial for
the further roll-out of renewable
in the EU. One key issue was the
EU-wide legally binding renewable
energy target for 2030 which is now
set at 32% of renewable energy in the
energy mix by 2030, with an upward
review clause by 2023 at the latest.
The renewable energy sector had
requested a 45% target to provide a
strong political signal for the industry piece of importance legislation, the
and investors as well as to fulfil the
EU’s international commitments
towards the Paris Agreement of
2015 and live up to the promise of
It shows that over 264 million
European Union citizens, half of the EU
population, could be producing their own
electricity by 2050.
the European Commission “to make
the EU the world number one in
renewable energies”.
This claim was supported by
several members of the European
Parliament and rapporteur José
Blanco-Lopez (S&D) managed
finally to include a 35% target in the
position of Parliament. In contrast,
the Commission’s proposal released
of late 2016 was astoundingly
unambitious due to negative
guidance from the Council in 2014.
If the sum of the national
contributions of renewables is found
to be lower than the overall EU target, incentivised small-scale renewable
gap filler measures are foreseen with
the monitoring of the Commission, a
mechanism now ensured in the other
Governance regulation.
Next to the establishment of
so-called one-stop-shops and
streamlined administrative and
permit granting procedures for new
renewable energy installations,
the major innovation of the new
Renewable Energy Directive is
certainly the clear right and role of
European citizens, local authorities,
small businesses and cooperatives
to produce, consume, store and
sell their own renewable energy,
without being subject to punitive
taxes or excessive red tape. It bans
discriminatory measures that some
countries introduced to prevent
their citizens from participating
in the energy transition, such as
the Spanish ‘sun tax’, which dis-
energy production with high fees and
administrative barriers.
The EU has recognized that citizens
are active and central players on
the energy markets of the future.
Increased transparency and better
regulation give more opportunities for
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