About: Renewable Energy Directive
MEPs and governments at standoff over energy efficiency
Mandate of Bulgarian presidency unclear after government changes in Italy and Spain.
EU farmers boss: DG Agri ‘not properly consulted’ in biofuels talks
EU farmers are “quite worried” about the fact that the European Commission’s DG Agri is often disregarded when it comes to policy decisions that have a direct impact on the farming community, such as the biofuels debate.
Germany pours cold water on EU’s clean energy ambitions
Voters across Europe have lost faith in politics partly because of “unachievable targets” on renewable energy, said German Energy Minister Peter Altmaier, who rejected calls from a group of other EU countries to boost the share of renewables to 33-35% of the bloc’s energy mix by 2030.
EU outlines renewable energy policy options for 2030
European Union legislators have outlined a compromise deal on the bloc’s renewable energy policy for the coming decade, agreeing on a headline objective of 30-33% for 2030, sources said.
Renewables in heating will tame oil market volatility, EU official says
Promoting renewable energies in the heating and cooling sector is “a productive investment” that will strengthen Europe’s resilience to the renewed volatility seen on oil markets since the US pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal, a senior EU official told a EURACTIV event.
Worries mount over waste incineration as ‘renewable energy’
A coalition of green NGOs and industries in the business of recycling, chemicals, forestry and the bio-based economy wrote to policymakers on Thursday (3 May), urging them to prevent incineration of unrecyclable waste from being counted as renewable energy.
EU unable to contain explosion in unsustainable biodiesel imports
Imports of Argentine soy biodiesel, which are among the most unsustainable of biofuels, have exploded in recent months because the EU lost a trade case at the WTO, writes Kristina Wittkopp.
Ireland increases crop-based biofuel transport share, provides ‘business certainty’
Ireland’s environment ministry has decided to increase the crop-based biofuel share in transport to 10% from the existing 8% and draw a 2030 plan aiming to provide long-term business certainty in the field.
Renewable power could make hydrogen cheaper than gas, study finds
Hydrogen prices are set to fall dramatically if enough surplus solar and wind energy can be utilised in the gas’s production, according to a new study which says hydrogen could even become cheaper than natural gas.
Renewables law could lock EU into costly burning technologies
The EU Council’s position on the recast Renewable Energy Directive (REDII), if adopted, could lock EU member states into expensive and polluting waste-to-energy technologies that contradict the circular economy and climate objectives, writes Janek Vahk.
China outshines Europe in 2017 clean power investment ranking
Solar power dominated a global ranking of new renewable energy investments “like never before” last year, with China accounting for more than half of the world’s new capacity, the UN said on Thursday (5 April). Investments in Europe, on the other hand, recorded a massive drop.
Joint call for European ‘industrial leadership’ on renewables
A coalition of industries ranging from solar to geothermal and biomass has called on the incoming Austrian Presidency of the EU to support a target of “at least 35%” for renewable energies by 2030, saying it will provide a stable environment for investors.
Straw is not waste but co-product, EU farmers tell Commission
The EU farmers’ association claims that straw is an agricultural co-product and not a waste, whereas the European Commission has listed it as waste to produce “advanced biofuel” to decarbonise the transport sector.
Double-counted renewables will increase dependency on fossil fuels
The EU Council's proposal for double or even multiple counting of advanced biofuels and green electricity consumption will increase Europe's dependency on fossil fuels to cover "real" energy needs, something which conflicts with the principal objective of the RED II legislation.
RED II – Europe’s €25 billion blunder
The Commission’s ‘strategy’ is to phase out conventional biofuels in the hope that they will miraculously be replaced by ‘advanced’ biofuels in Europe’s transport energy mix isn’t backed by science or by logic, writes Dick Roche.
Questions raised over EU’s proposed advanced biofuels list
Not all second-generation biofuels listed by the European Commission are sustainable, critics warn, urging policymakers to use the indirect land use change (ILUC) factor to “clean up” the list.
EU set bar ‘too high’ on advanced biofuels
The EU needs a more realistic target for advanced biofuels in transport, green campaigners have warned, saying proper sustainability criteria should be introduced to avoid the “mistakes of the past” when biofuels attracted criticism for causing deforestation and environmental degradation in the developing world.
Seán Kelly MEP: Gas is ‘preferred option’ as back-up for renewables
Intermittent renewable electricity will need backup for at least the next 20 or 30 years, says Irish MEP Seán Kelly. As the least dirty among fossil fuels, natural gas is probably the most cost-effective and “preferred option,” he argues.
Irish minister: We are the global leaders in taking variable renewable electricity onto the grid
The Irish electricity is now able to cope with 65% of electricity coming from intermittent electricity sources like wind and solar – an expertise Energy Minister Denis Naugthen believes can be replicated on a larger scale as Europe moves towards 50% renewable power by 2030.
Fresh EU analysis makes case for higher renewables, energy saving goals
A new analysis by the European Commission’s energy directorate, seen by EURACTIV, updates existing scenarios for renewables and energy efficiency, taking into account the rapidly falling costs of solar and wind power.
Biomass policy under the spotlight as EU talks kick off
The European Union’s proposed new biomass policy has enough built-in safeguards to ensure it doesn’t lead to additional carbon emissions, an EU official told a EURACTIV event last week, amid warnings that the policy risks making global warming worse by increasing deforestation.
Minister: Malaysia will retaliate against EU goods in case of palm oil ban
The European Parliament's decision to ban palm oil, is "drastic and discriminatory" and Kuala Lumpur is ready to retaliate with its own trade measures against Europe's products if the ban takes effect, Malaysia’s Minister Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong told EURACTIV.
Germany solidifies top ranking in EU wind power league
Germany installed 42% of the EU’s new wind power capacity in 2017, a year that saw the industry installing more supplies than any other form of energy across the European Union, according to fresh industry statistics published on Tuesday (13 February).