On Wednesday 2 July, at the same time as presenting its legislative proposal for the 2040 target (see EUROPE 13672/1), the European Commission presented a series of documents to guide Member States in the deployment of innovative renewable energy sources, the development of grids and storage infrastructures, and the design of electricity grid tariffs that reflect the needs of the system.
These guidance documents, together with a general recommendation, will, according to the Commission, support the implementation of the revised Renewable Energy Directive (see EUROPE 13646/34), the reform of the electricity market design (see EUROPE 13560/27) and the Affordable Energy Action Plan (see EUROPE 13588/3).
Accelerated deployment of new types of renewable energy. With the first document, the Commission aims to encourage EU countries to design a regulatory and financial framework tailored to the specific needs of innovative renewable energy technologies (marine energy, floating offshore wind) and their deployment methods (agrisolar, floating solar, etc.)
According to the Commission, the proposed measures “will reduce the cost differential between these new types of renewable energy and conventional forms of deployment, thereby encouraging their development”. It also emphasises continued research and innovation to explore their potential benefits and clarify their environmental impacts.
In general terms, the institution considers it necessary to considerably speed up the procedures for granting permits for renewable energy projects, both for conventional deployment methods and for these innovative renewable technologies.
Deployment of networks and storage. The second guidance document aims to strengthen networks and accelerate storage solutions by designating dedicated areas in which networks and storage projects can be exempted from certain types of environmental assessment.
The Commission’s general recommendation specifies that these exemptions may take place, “if justified, to accelerate the deployment of renewable energies and the connection of end-users to the electricity grid, including industrial consumers, in order to meet climate and renewable energy targets”.
Electricity network tariffs designed to reduce energy system costs. The Commission then wants to guide Member States to ensure that national regulators design tariffs that “reflect the needs of the electricity system”. It also wants to optimise the use of existing infrastructure by reducing demand peaks, promoting flexibility and encouraging consumers to use electricity when it is cheap.
According to the general recommendation, Member States are authorised, among other things, to inject public funds into the overall budget for network charges, “provided that this is done in a non-discriminatory manner” or that it does not favour certain categories of network users.
To see the recommendation: https://aeur.eu/f/how ; and the guidance documents: https://aeur.eu/f/hot ; https://aeur.eu/f/hou , https://aeur.eu/f/hov (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)