On Monday 2 September, the European Commission adopted four guidance documents to help EU countries transpose the revised directives on renewable energy (see EUROPE 13296/32) and energy efficiency (see EUROPE 13256/25) into national law.
The first three guidance documents cover three distinct areas of the Renewable Energy Directive: - heating and cooling; - the integration of energy systems based on renewable electricity; - renewable fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBOs).
The fourth explanatory document also focuses on heating and cooling-related aspects, but this time in the Energy Efficiency Directive.
Energy system integration. The guidelines on the integration of renewable electricity set out the new requirements for electricity network operators. From now on, they will have to provide almost real-time information on the proportion of renewable energy and the greenhouse gas emissions content of the electricity supplied to end-users.
They also detail, among other things, the obligations of battery and electric vehicle manufacturers and the requirements for smart recharging.
To see the document: https://aeur.eu/f/db1
Renewable fuels of non-biological origin. The second document referring to the Renewable Energy Directive sets out targets for the consumption of renewable fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBOs) in the industry and transport sectors. It includes a calculation of the targets and their scope, as well as the link between the target for industry and that for transport.
To see the document: https://aeur.eu/f/db0
Heating and cooling. The guidelines on heating and cooling for the Renewable Energy Directive clarify the accounting for a higher share of renewable energy in this sector, as well as how to apply the definition of waste heat in the Directive.
To see the guidelines: https://aeur.eu/f/daz
The recommendations for the Energy Efficiency Directive, meanwhile, detail how to establish planning obligations for systems that do not meet the criteria for ‘efficient’ district heating and cooling systems. They also explain how to make efficient use of the surplus heat available in energy-intensive installations.
In addition, a European Commission press release states that State aid may be granted to a system “when it meets the criteria for an efficient district heating and cooling system”, as defined in the Directive.
To see the recommendations: https://aeur.eu/f/day (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)