Skip to content
Menu
  • News
  • Rugby
  • Old Skool shoes
  • limerick gaa jerseys
  • f1 t shirt
oumea.com

Commission non-committal on renewables targets

Posted on March 15, 2020

Commission non-committal on renewables targets

Commission weighs up the options for renewable energy policy after 2020.

European Voice

By
Dave Keating

6/6/12, 10:13 PM CET

Updated 4/12/14, 11:20 PM CET

The European Commission has prolonged debate over whether to set binding targets beyond 2020 that would oblige member states to generate renewable energy.

In a strategy document published this week, which will be presented to EU energy ministers next Friday (15 June), the Commission weighs up the options for renewable energy policy after 2020.

Member states are currently subject to binding targets for 2020, but there has been debate over whether the development of renewables should be encouraged beyond then by imposing binding targets or through emissions trading. The electricity generation industry would prefer a market mechanism. But the renewables industry says capping emissions will not necessarily spur investment in renewable energy, because there are other low-carbon solutions.

The policy paper unveiled yesterday (6 June) by Günther Oettinger, the European commissioner for energy, weighs the pros and cons of each option and does not indicate a strong preference. But it says a proposal should be put forward by 2014 in order to give the industry time to prepare.

“We need to see the reaction [to the paper] from member states and the

Parliament,” Oettinger said yesterday. “If we see that there is an acceptance for binding targets, we will submit a proposal.”?

The paper does not take a stance on whether member states’ schemes to support renewables – such as feed-in tariffs – should be harmonised. But it hints that the Commission is leaning in that direction, saying that recent member state changes to support schemes, “lacked transparency, have been introduced suddenly and at times have even been imposed retroactively”.?

The Commission will put forward non-binding guidelines for renewables support-scheme reform next year. “Retroactive changes destroy confidence,” said Oettinger.

Environmental benefits

Environmental groups expressed disappointment that the paper did not strongly support a 2030 target. “The paper shies away from clear recommendations for 2030, even though the Commission’s own research shows the benefits of a target,” said Imke Lubbeke of WWF. In March, the European Parliament called for a 2030 renewables target.

A call for such a target was originally included in draft Council conclusions on the 2050 energy roadmap, due to be adopted by energy ministers next Friday. But this has been removed from the latest draft.

The campaign group Oxfam expressed disappointment that the paper makes only vague references to the side-effects that some biofuel may have on food security in developing countries. At present, member states are obliged to obtain 10% of transport fuel from renewable sources, the vast majority of which comes from biofuel produced from food crops.

Oxfam believes the 2020 target should be scrapped. It had hoped that the Commission would have no new biofuel target in 2030 in its paper. “It is shocking that the Commission’s blueprint ignores that current EU policy is driving up global food prices and helping push people in poor countries off their land,” said Marc-Olivier Herman of Oxfam.

Novozymes, a Danish biotechnology company, welcomed the paper. “A dedicated…target for advanced biofuels would secure a market share by 2020 and beyond,” said Lars Christian Hansen, the company’s Europe president, adding that this needs to be done with “strict sustainability criteria”.

The paper says the Commission will soon put forward proposals to measure the sustainability of biofuel. But the issue has long been stuck in the Commission because of a conflict between the energy and climate- change departments.

 

Authors:
Dave Keating 

Click Here: pinko shop cheap

Recent Posts

  • Rain Gauge: Measuring Precipitation for Weather and Climate Studies
  • Rain Gauge: A Comprehensive Overview of Its Design and Functionality
  • **How Is Dew Point Calculated**
  • How is Dew Point Calculated?
  • How is Dew Point Calculated?

Recent Comments

    Archives

    • April 2025
    • March 2025
    • February 2025
    • January 2025
    • December 2024
    • November 2024
    • February 2023
    • January 2023
    • December 2022
    • November 2022
    • October 2022
    • September 2022
    • August 2022
    • July 2022
    • June 2022
    • May 2022
    • April 2022
    • March 2022
    • February 2022
    • January 2022
    • December 2021
    • October 2021
    • September 2021
    • August 2021
    • July 2021
    • June 2021
    • May 2021
    • April 2021
    • March 2021
    • February 2021
    • January 2021
    • December 2020
    • November 2020
    • October 2020
    • September 2020
    • August 2020
    • July 2020
    • June 2020
    • May 2020
    • April 2020
    • March 2020
    • February 2020
    • January 2020
    • December 2019
    • November 2019
    • October 2019
    • September 2019
    • August 2019
    • July 2019
    • June 2019
    • May 2019
    • April 2019
    • March 2019

    Categories

    • News
    • Rugby

    Meta

    • Log in
    • Entries feed
    • Comments feed
    • WordPress.org
    ©2025 oumea.com | WordPress Theme by Superbthemes.com