Renewables Directive

With the Renewable Energy Directive ( EC), completely Directive 2009/28/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2009 on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources and amending and subsequently repealing Directives 2001/77 / EC and 2003/30/EC were binding specified for the Member States of the European Union by each of them to be reached by 2020 share of renewable energies in the total energy consumed by them with the aim that until this year throughout the EU the share of renewable energy in total energy consumption will be at least 20%.

Occasion

The Directive was preceded by negotiations between the EU and its Member States to the European climate package. This was triggered by the decisions of the European Council from 2007 to an integrated energy and climate policy. The Directive establishes a Community framework for the use of renewable energies in the three energy ranges electricity, heating / cooling and transport created now for the first time. The previously applicable Directives 2001/77/EC and 2003/30/EC for electricity to biofuels were repealed by the RES Directive. Your power to enact the RES Directive the EU supports both their Umweltkomptenz (Article 175, paragraph 1 of the EC Treaty ) as well as on their internal market competence ( Article 95 ).

Targets in the proportions of total energy consumption

The policy is set for each Member State separately the share of renewable energy in total final energy consumption (Article 5 Directive), which must be achieved by the Member country in 2020, for Germany with 18%, so that across the EU, the share then to 20% amounts. The member countries imposed quotas have different heights with respect to the level achieved by the adoption of the Directive. These quotas are binding, ie, in failing to achieve the objectives, the EU can impose sanctions against the Member States concerned. For the transport sector was also determined, in each Member State for at least 10 % of the energy must come from renewable energy sources within the overall objective.

The mandatory national targets and related to the 2005 actual state, the table below shows.

Funding models

Within the EU are located in power generation since the dawn two delivery models against. This is even the German, now adopted by the majority of Member States supply model of the Renewable Energy Sources Act, on the other hand, the rate model used in Sweden and previously in the UK, after the producers certain quotas of power imposed from renewable energies, this but to fulfill ( for correspondingly generated electricity) and by the purchase of green certificates. Many years had the EU's quota system favored since the German feed-in model is limited in the promotion of electricity produced in the promotional state, while the rate model also stream which was produced in other Member States from renewable energy sources, allowing for certificate trading. Later, the Commission based both models with the intention that they should compete with each other. Also in the Renewable Energy Directive, both models continue to be authorized. However, now is also explicitly the need for a permanent protection of the models by Directive explains to the target ( recital 25), in order to ensure investment security with regard to the promotion. This should be eliminated for the original German feed-in model, the last doubts about permissible under Community law.

General measures

The Member States are obliged to take the necessary measures to achieve the objectives, which include not only support schemes also include measures for cooperation between Member States and third countries. The provisions of the Treaty on the prohibition of aid ( Article 87 TEC) are restricted to the extent that the Member States may restrict their promotion on domestic electricity produced from renewable energy sources (Art. 3 para 2 Directive ). Each Member State has a national action plan for renewable energies goodbye until 30 June 2010 and submit it to the EU. If a country short of the targets of its action plan for two years back, it must submit a customized action plan that sets out the measures to meet the objectives. Joint projects between Member States and with third countries are provided. For projects with third countries can, under certain circumstances, after the date of 2020 generated electricity, for example, be used in calculating such targets (Article 9 paragraph 3 Directive ), as in the large-scale projects for use of solar energy in the Sahara.

Individual measures

Member States are obliged to simplify their relevant administrative procedures and to make more efficient and with authorization procedures for smaller projects and, where appropriate, decentralized plants for the production of energy from renewable sources by simple notification to replace (Art. 13 para 2 lit. F directive).

Until 31 December 2014, Member States in both new construction and existing buildings shall include, as there major renovations are carried out, to adapt their rules so that the heat or cold supply a minimum amount of energy used from renewable energy sources (Art. 13 Section 4 Directive ). In Germany this is true according to the Renewable Energies Heat Act so far only for new buildings ( with the exception of Baden -Württemberg, where the obligation to use under certain conditions also extends to older buildings ).

The Member States shall take the appropriate steps to develop the networks for the inclusion of electricity from renewable sources to ensure their priority or guaranteed grid access at cost-covering prices and to transfer the absorbed current and distribute. From the transmission and distribution system operators taking over the production of electricity from renewable energy incurred additional costs may be required (Art. 16 Directive). In Germany these requirements have already been met mainly by the Renewable Energy Sources Act.

Objectives in the transport sector

To calculate the final energy consumption in the transport sector only petrol and diesel fuels and road transport and rail transport biofuel consumed and electricity are taken into account. In calculating the amounts by which by 2020 at least 10% of final energy consumption must be met from renewable sources, all types of energy from renewable sources consumed in all modes of transport used. For vehicles with electric drive on the road, the consumption of electricity that is produced from renewable sources, with 2.5 times the energy content from the calculations ( Article 3 para 4 lit. C ) Directive). In Germany, the Biofuel Quota Act, in conjunction with § 37a para 3 BimSchG so far is that the share of biofuel produced from renewable energy by 2015, 8% of total fuels placed on the market must be. The date the use of biofuels regulatory Directive 2003/30/EC was repealed and replaced by these provisions of the Renewable Energy Directive.

Sustainability requirements for biomass

For the production of biofuels and bioliquids shall be regardless of whether the renewable raw materials are cultivated inside or outside the Community, from this only takes into account recovered energy in accordance with the guidelines and requirements of the Directive if they amount to a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by at least 35 %; the percentage increases from 2017 to 50%. Also, only those raw materials may be used, which come from a sustainable cultivation, for which, from the viewpoint of nature conservation and environmental protection, detailed specifications are made. Thus, raw materials from primary forests, such as rain forests excluded. Finally, the Commission is required to report every two years on the impact of increased demand for renewable raw materials both in the Member States and in third countries in relation to nature and environmental protection and labor and social conditions of the population affected. In Germany these requirements in the field of electricity production has already been met by the Biomass Electricity Sustainability Ordinance of 29 July 2009. Similarly, the Biofuel Sustainability Ordinance of 30 September 2009 ( Federal Law Gazette I 3182 ) was adopted.

The EU Commission is planning according to the presented in October 2012 new biofuel strategy to limit the use of biofuels to 5 percent. To nevertheless 10 percent to achieve the envisaged by the EU Renewable Energy Directive, renewables quotas in the transport sector by 2020, are to be credited for more from waste products, straw or algae biofuels. But that's not the proportion of biofuels is increased in the fuel market, but de facto reduced to 5 per cent, so that the desired reduction in the dependence on imports of oil would not be achieved. In addition, the Commission wants to increase the minimum threshold values ​​for greenhouse gas reduction for new plants to 60 percent. → More articles in biofuel