IN SHORT:
In 2021, the EU obtained 22% of all energy from renewable energy sources.
EP: in 2030, 42.5% of the energy consumed by the EU must come from renewable energy sources.
The goals focus on investment to massively expand wind and solar power.
The directive will speed up the granting of permits for new renewable energy installations.
Greenhouse gas emissions in the transport sector must be reduced by 14.5% by 2030.
Modern biofuel should be used more; a higher quota should be introduced, for example for hydrogen.
Also, MEPs demand the introduction of stricter criteria for the use of biomass.
The adoption of the directive was not smooth. The negotiations between the governments of the EU countries were difficult.
The European Parliament wants faster progress in the use of renewable energy
According to official EU data, in 2021, Europe obtained 22% of all energy from renewable energy sources. The revised targets in the directive are set to increase this percentage even further. The goals focus on investment to massively expand wind and solar power. Brussels hopes that this can be achieved through more domestic production of components. For example, most of the parts used in European solar power plants are currently supplied by China. The European solar industry recently warned the European Commission (EC) that falling module prices, caused in part by fierce competition from Chinese suppliers, are driving European manufacturers towards bankruptcy.
The directive adopted and updated by the EP stipulates that no later than 2030, 42.5% of the energy consumed by the EU must come from renewable energy resources.
And Member States should aim to reach 45%.
“The Renewable Energy Directive is a key part of the Green Deal. We can really say that by 2030 we will reach 42% or 45% of renewable energy at the end user. This is our improvement, which we have also made compared to the European Commission’s proposal, which was only 30% are intended,” said Markus Piepers from Germany, the member of parliament responsible for the revision of the directive.
The directive will speed up the granting of permits for new renewable energy installations, such as solar panels or wind generators, or the adaptation of existing installations. If the new renewable energy installations are located in the so-called areas favorable for the production of renewable energy, national authorities can spend no more than 12 months on their approval. If facilities are located outside these areas, approval may take up to 24 months.
“The new permit regulations will bring significant changes in the deployment of renewable energy resources.
Currently, around 130 gigawatts worth of renewable energy projects in the European Union are awaiting approval.
As a result of the implementation of these projects, approximately 20 billion cubic meters of gas and 36 million tons of coal can be saved,” explained Energy Commissioner Kadri Simsone.
The directive also sets targets in the transport sector. Here, using renewable energy, greenhouse gas emissions should be reduced by 14.5% by 2030. To achieve this, more modern biofuels should be used and a higher quota for non-biological renewable fuels such as hydrogen should be introduced.
MEPs also ensured that Member States should set an indicative target for innovative renewable energy technologies to account for at least 5% of the renewable energy capacity produced by newly installed installations. Also, the creation of a binding framework for cross-border energy projects should be set as an indicative goal.
Also, MEPs demand the introduction of stricter criteria for the use of biomass to ensure that the EU does not subsidize unsustainable practices.
Biomass should be harvested in such a way as to ensure that soil quality and biodiversity are not adversely affected.
“It is also very important that the European Parliament points to biomass as a renewable energy. In other words, wood from the forest is a renewable energy, and it is considered renewable and also eligible for funding. This is also an achievement of the European Parliament,” explained the MEP .
The course of adoption of the directive was not smooth. The negotiations between the governments of the EU countries were difficult. The support needed to pass the directive came only after France won exemptions for nuclear power, which is not defined as renewable energy.
EU countries informally approved the deal in June after Brussels gave written assurances that it would consider allowing certain ammonia plants to run on nuclear fuel. In France’s view, Europe’s transition to green energy will require hydrogen produced from both renewables and nuclear power. Paris therefore believes that EU legislation should support both.
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2023-09-14 04:55:49
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