The ‘draft report’ of amendments to the Renewable Energy Directive proposed by MEP Markus Pieper (CDU, EPP) has been published and can be found here. Dr Pieper is the Member of the European Parliament who will lead the process to create and negotiate that institution’s position on the Directive. Explaining his amendments in a press conference last week, he noted the EU’s goal of increasing the use of renewable energies to 40 percent of the energy mix by 2030 was “realistic” but considered the instruments proposed by the European Commission to be “too timid”. He maintains that the EU’s climate targets can only be achieved through a massive expansion of renewable energy using innovative technologies.
Special attention to innovative technology
One amendment proposes a target for innovative technology accompanying the 40% target. Dr Pieper’s proposed addition to the text proposed by the European Commission can be seen below in bold italic:
Amendment 18
Article 3 – paragraph 1
- Member States shall collectively ensure that the share of energy from renewable sources in the Union’s gross final consumption of energy in 2030 is at least 40%. In order to safeguard the Union’s industrial competitiveness, each Member State shall set an indicative target to ensure that at least 5 % of new installed renewable electricity capacity between 2025 and 2035 is innovative renewable energy technology.
Responding, EUREC President Rainer Janssen said, “Dr Pieper’s amendment is a major step towards helping European producers of innovative renewable energy technology gain a foothold in the installation market. A target is the first step. Next come the policies to meet it. Member States must use a combination of state aid, R&D support and low-cost finance to ensure these installations are made.”
The amendment deals only in electricity. EUREC would recommend broadening its scope to “energy” which would allow innovative technologies in renewable heating and cooling, for example, to benefit (advanced biofuels were already catered for in the European Commission’s proposal).
Support for innovative renewables from EPP
An EPP colleague of Dr Pieper’s from Ireland, MEP Seán Kelly, has already taken a stand to support an innovative renewable energy in his country, floating offshore wind. He recently called on the Irish government to fast track offshore wind projects, and in particular floating technology projects, remarking, “There is no value to citizens in having clean technologies available if we cannot get them deployed.”