Tag: renewable energy

French PM Dominique de Villepin has announced a set of measures to "give true impetus to energy savings and renewable energies" as oil prices flirt with 70 dollars a barrel.

EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs has presented a 3.7 million euro campaign to raise public awareness of the EU's policies for developing sustainable energy technologies.

A seminar organised by EurActiv in the European Parliament on 30 June has taken a look at the energy situation of the ten countries that joined the EU on 1 May 2004. EurActiv provides an overview of a complex situation.

Environmental campaigners at Greenpeace have teamed up with renewable energy producers to call for a phase-out of subsidies in fossil fuels and nuclear to allow renewable energies to develop.

In an exclusive interview with EurActiv, Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs discusses the problems facing the EU in terms of diminishing oil reserves, rising energy prices and the viability of the nuclear option.

A survey from the German Energy Agency on how to integrate wind energy into electricity distribution networks is creating unease. Energy-efficient housing, an official says, would bring cheaper CO2 emissions cuts than expensive wind farms.

The increasing share of wind power in Germany and Spain is posing new challenges to electricity transmission in Europe. Industry forecasts point to bottlenecks blocking the full potential of electricity from being tapped.

Although only one Energy Council meeting is planned for the next six months, the Dutch Presidency hopes to make substantial progress on some controversial and high-profile policy dossiers.

There is not enough time to prepare for the emissions trading scheme, complains Jean-Claude Steffens, Director of Environment & Innovation at Suez-Tractebel. He also predicts that increasing the share of renewable energy will come at a high price.

This report, commissioned by WWF, discusses the methodology used to determine the possibilities for a low carbon electricity future (the 'Power Switch' scenario) and presents the results for the EU.

The German government has adopted its draft Renewables Act, which will reform existing legislation and redefine the framework conditions for renewable energy in the country.

Two years after the adoption of the Renewable Energy Directive, the EU seems to be a long way off meeting the agreed targets for 'green' electricity.

The first International Conference of the "Johannesburg Renewable Energy Coalition (JREC)" was organised as part of the Commission's 2003 Green Week. The Conference discussed strategic priorities and outlined a road map in the run-up to the first World Conference on Renewables to be held in Bonn in June 2004.

WWF and the European Renewable Energy Federation warn that governments should do more to reach the targets set in the directive on renewable electricity.

In its first reading of the directive on the energy efficiency of buildings, the Parliament voted to delay the introduction of energy audits and certificates.

The Energy Council of 4 December reached an agreement on the proposal for a directive relating to energy efficiency of buildings. The proposed directive will impose minimum energy efficiency norms on new buildings of over 1000 m² and on old ones undergoing major renovations.

Competition Commissioner Mario Monti threatens to start an investigation into a German law promoting renewable energy. According to German newspaper Handelsblatt, the Commission wants to initiate a state aid investigation into a piece of German legislation which is one of the cornerstones of the SPD-Greens coalition.

The Energy Council reached political agreement on the Directive on promotion of electricity from renewable energy sources

Eurelectric recently published a report examining the feasibility of setting up market-based trading systems for renewable energy sources.