Page 8 - European Energy Innovation - spring 2018 publication
P. 8
8 Spring 2018 European Energy Innovation
BIOFUELS
Biofuels and the Renewable
Energy Directive
BySeán Kelly, MEP
In February, inter-institutional the higher overall target of 35%, while original Renewable Energy Directive
negotiations between Council also increasing ambition on articles including an obligation to review the
and Parliament on three key dealing with issues such as heating impact of indirect land use change
elements of the Clean Energy and cooling, distributed generation, (ILUC) on greenhouse gas emissions
Package - the Governance Regulation, and planning. associated with biofuels, leading to the
the Energy Efficiency Directive, and introduction in 2015 of the so-called
the Renewable Energy Directive - got Perhaps the issue that causes the most ILUC amendments which capped the
underway. The Renewable Energy contentious debates in Brussels policy share of conventional biofuels that
Directive in particular sees the circles is that of renewable energy can be counted towards the 2020
institutions head into negotiations with in transport, and specifically the use renewable energy target to 7%. At
quite differing positions. Parliament of biofuels to meet the targets. This the end of 2016, the Commission
has been more ambitious generally is an issue that has been ongoing came forward with its proposal for
in its approach to the file, opting for for a number of years now, with the the recast of the Renewable Energy
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