EU Policy on Electricity from Renewable Energy Sources
Current status
The European Union aims to have 21% of its electricity coming from renewable energy sources by 2010. This target has been formulated in the Directive 2001/77/EC on the promotion of renewable electricity. The Directive also stipulates that Member States have to provide better grid access for renewable energy generators, streamline and facilitate authorisation procedures and establish a system of guarantees of origin.
This directive, the most important piece of legislation in the world for renewables, has brought a framework that guarantees growth and shows the necessary stability, which is crucial to investments. It is a success from our point of view: The production of renewable electricity, without large hydropower, in 2005 is more than the combined overall electricity production in Denmark, Portugal and the Slovak Republic. In the first years of this century the development of renewable electricity was happening only in some frontrunner countries, yet already now we can see a second wave of countries with significant growth rates. This is in our opinion the real success of the existing directive.
According to EREC’s estimates, it is possible to generate 35 % of Europe’s electricity by renewable energy sources by 2020.
EREC’s presentations and views
- 'Future Investment - A sustainable Investment Plan for the power sector ' (06.07.2007) EREC and Greenpeace demonstrate through this investment plan, the first global analysis of its kind, that investing in a renewable electricity future will save 10 times the fuel costs of a "business as usual" fossil-fuelled scenario.
- Slides on renewable electricity
Find out more about renewable statistics electricity in this powerpoint presentation. - EREC’s position on competition on the RES-electricity market
EREC detailed in 2005 its position regarding competition on the EU electricity market for electricity. It confirms the analysis developed by the European Commission on the lack of effective competition in the electricity and gas markets. - EREC’s position on harmonization of support schemes for RES-electricity The Commission, following the 2001 Directive’s requirements, published an evaluation of national support schemes in December 2005. EREC published its opinion of the evaluation report.
