Monitoring and Evaluation of the RES directives implementation in EU27 and policy recommendations for 2020

RES2020 aims at analysing the present situation in the RES implementation, defining future options for policies and measures, calculating concrete targets for the RES contribution that can be achieved by the implementation of these options and finally examining the implications of the achievement of these targets to the European Economy.. A number of future options for policies and measures will be defined and they will be studied with the use of the TIMES energy systems analysis model, in order to analyze the quantitative effects on the RES development. TIMES offers the possibility of developing an aggregate parameter in order to quantify the impact of a wide range of support schemes. The results will be combined to provide recommendations of optimal mix scenarios for policy measures, in order to ensure the achievement of the targets.

Three major European Energy Policy priorities, Security of Supply, Climate Change and Competitiveness, depend heavily on the contribution of RES to the primary energy mix of the EU countries. In this context the EC has published two Directives setting targets for renewable electricity and biofuels, and also the Biomass action plan in order to promote the use of biomass. An increased interest is also evident in the field of renewable heating and cooling, with the possibility of a directive being discussed. Furthermore, the Communication on the support of electricity from renewable energy sources has made it clear that coordination and optimisation of policy instruments will remain a priority for the coming years. To this end, there is a need for a concrete and accurate methodology to monitor the level of implementation of the quantitative targets set by the RES and environmental policies.

The present proposal aims at analysing the present situation in the RES implementation, defining future options for policies and measures, calculating concrete targets for the RES contribution that can be achieved by the implementation of these options and finally examining the implications of the achievement of these targets to the European Economy. All the renewable energy options are examined, with the use of an energy systems model (TIMES) that offers this possibility.

The first step in the implementation of the project will be a detailed description of the existing situation in EU27) regarding RES. The European Renewable Energy Council (EREC) and the RES technology associations will provide the necessary data, through contacts with local producers, in each Member State, in order to obtain an independent market view. This will include

a) Installed capacities
b) Financial & political framework
c) Technological potential
d) Issues regarding market penetration of RES

The TIMES energy systems analysis model, developed in the framework of the ETSAP Implementing Agreement of the IEA, will be applied in the scenario analysis stage of the project. The advantage of the model is its ability to model the whole of the energy sector on a country level, taking in mind the contribution of RES-E, biomass, biofuels and renewable heating/cooling in general. TIMES is able to model trade of biomass among different countries, both as primary products or as derived products. This is an issue often neglected in existing studies, and the ability to cover this issue provides a clear advantage of the model. The models of the member states energy systems will be available in the framework of another EU funded project (6th Framework Programme – NEEDS project).

A number of future options for policies and measures will be defined and they will be studied with the use of TIMES, in order to analyze the quantitative effects on the RES development. TIMES offers the possibility of developing an aggregate parameter in order to quantify the impact of a wide range of support schemes. The results will be combined to provide recommendations of optimal mix scenarios for policy measures, in order to ensure the achievement of the targets. These optimal mix scenarios for policy measures will be presented and discussed in regional workshops as well as in a policy event to be organized at the end of the project, and will be presented in a session of an Interparliamentary meeting of the European Parliament.

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