15.05.2024

Brussels with key changes to deploy renewable energy

To steer Europe towards its 2030 renewable energy targets, the European Commission has provided new guidelines to EU countries for rapid deployment zones, while opening the door to more restrictive renewable energy auctions, reports Euractiv.

The original REPowerEU - a plan to wean Europe off Russian fossil fuels by 2028 after the start of the war in Ukraine - was unveiled in May 2022. Former European Commissioner and Green Deal leader Frans Timmermans said it would make Europe "master of its own you are destiny'.

The plan had a transformative scope: highly ambitious targets for biogas and hydrogen, as well as more pragmatic targets for renewable energy and savings.

A late 2023 Columbia University report warned, however, that neither wind nor solar power is on track to meet the 2030 targets.

The updated plan envisages three stages to encourage the deployment of renewable energy sources.

"The new guidelines from the Commission will help Member States to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy sources," said Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson.

The Commission is proposing new guidelines on how EU countries can select areas where wind or solar power is automatically fast-tracked. Each country must have at least one such zone by February 2026. New support will also be provided for the permitting procedures for renewable energy sources.

Among the RES lobby groups in the EU, the reaction was mostly positive.

"The commission provides much-needed guidance on mapping and acceleration areas," said Walburga Hemetsberger, CEO of industry association SolarPower Europe.

Industry body Wind Europe said:

"We're positive about change."

The beginning of a new era

The commission also provides a set of recommendations to national governments on how best to implement non-price criteria in their renewable energy auctions. More than half of the built RES are awarded through regular state tenders.

After years of pleas from European industry struggling to compete on price alone with cheaper foreign options, EU countries can now include "quality, ability to complete the project on time, responsible business conduct, cybersecurity and security of data, contribution to sustainability, environmental sustainability or innovation' in the design of tenders, according to the Commission's guidelines.

As an example, this change in practice could lead to winning an offshore wind tender based on local restoration efforts. Such initiatives are already taking place in the North Sea through the creation of artificial reefs.

If EU countries implement the proposals, companies with more sustainable supply chains will also receive preferential treatment.

"The sustainability criteria must be implemented as soon as possible," WindEurope said.

The new guidelines are in line with the recently adopted Zero Net Emission Industry Act (NZIA), which promotes green manufacturing across the EU.