ÁREAS TEMÁTICAS

Agronegocios y Agroenergía

Noticias del mercado argentino y mundial de biocombustibles

UE – Memo sobre el paquete de cambio climático y energía renovable (en inglés)
23 de enero de 2008

1. Introduction

In recent decades, our lifestyle and growing wealth has had a profound effect on the energy sector, changing the energy outlook considerably in the process. Increasing demand for energy, soaring oil prices, uncertain energy supplies and fears of global warming have opened our eyes to the fact that energy can no longer be taken for granted. EU leaders have thus made a commitment to increase the use of renewable energy; energy that can replace fossil fuels, diversify our energy supply and reduce our carbon emissions. Boosting investment in renewable energy, energy efficiency and new technologies contributes to sustainable development and security of supply, and helps create new jobs, economic growth, greater competitiveness and rural development. A comprehensive legislative framework is necessary for the promotion and the use of renewable energy. Only this can provide the business community with the long-term stability it needs to make rational investment decisions in the renewable energy sector and put the European Union on track towards a cleaner, more secure and more competitive energy future.

2. Background

In January 2007 the European Commission put forward an integrated energy/climate change proposal that addressed the issues of energy supply, climate change and industrial development. Two months later, European Heads of State endorsed the plan and agreed to an Energy Policy for Europe.

The plan called for a:

* 20% increase in energy efficiency
* 20% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
* 20% share of renewables in overall EU energy consumption by 2020 * 10% biofuel component in vehicle fuel by 2020

These targets are very ambitious: today 8.5% of energy is renewable. To achieve a 20% share by 2020 will require major efforts across all sectors of the economy and by all Member States.

A European approach is needed to ensure that the effort for reaching the 20% target is shared equitably between Member States. Furthermore, there must be investor certainty regarding the objectives and the pathway to be followed.

3. Commission Proposal

To achieve the renewable energy policy goals, the European Commission has proposed a Directive. This aims to establish national renewable energy targets that result in an overall binding target of a 20% share of renewable energy sources in energy consumption in 2020 and a binding 10% minimum target for biofuels in transport to be achieved by each Member State.

Three sectors are implicated by renewable energy: electricity, heating and cooling and transport. It is up to the Member States to decide on the mix of contributions from these sectors to reach their national targets, choosing the means that best suits their national circumstances. They will also be given the option of achieving their targets by supporting the development of renewable energy in other Member States and third countries.

The minimum 10% share of biofuels in transport is applicable in all Member States. Biofuels tackle the oil dependence of the transport sector, which is one of the most serious issues affecting security of energy supply that the EU faces.

Finally, the Directive also aims to remove unnecessary barriers to the growth of renewable energy - for example by simplifying the administrative procedures for new renewable energy developments – and encourages the development of better types of renewable energy (by setting sustainability standards for biofuels etc).

4. Target Calculation

If the overall 20% target for renewables is to be reached in an effective manner, the individual targets for each Member State have to be determined as fairly as possible. The Commission has therefore put forward a simple five-step approach:

• The share of renewable energy in 2005 (the base year for all calculations in the package) is modulated to reflect national starting points and efforts already made for Member States that achieved an increase of above 2% between 2001 and 2005
• 5.5% is added to the modulated 2005 share of renewable energy for every Member State
• This remaining effort (0.16 toe for each person in the EU) is weighted by a GDP/capita index to reflect different levels of wealth across Member States, then multiplied by each Member State's population
• These two elements are added together to derive the full renewable energy share of total final energy consumption in 2020
• Lastly, an overall cap on the target share for renewable energy in 2020 is applied for individual Member States.

This method of setting the targets provides for a fair distribution of effort across Member States. At the same time, the creation of a tradable guarantee of origin regime allows Member States to reach their targets in the most cost-effective manner possible: instead of developing local renewable energy sources, Member States will be able to buy guarantees of origin (certificates proving the renewable origin of energy) from other Member States where the development of renewable energy is cheaper to produce.

5. Biofuels

The 10% target for renewable energy in transport has been set at the same level for each Member State in order to ensure consistency in transport fuel specifications and availability. Member States which do not have the relevant resources to produce biofuels will easily be able to obtain renewable transport fuels from elsewhere. While it would technically be possible for the European Union to meet its biofuel needs solely from domestic production, it is both likely and desirable that these needs will in fact be met through a combination of domestic EU production and imports from third countries.

Concerns have been raised about whether biofuel production is sustainable. Whilst biofuels are a crucial part of renewable energy policy and a key solution to growing emissions in the transport sector, they must not be promoted unless they are produced sustainably. Although the majority of biofuels currently consumed in the EU are produced in a sustainable manner, the concerns are legitimate and need to be addressed. The Directive therefore sets out stringent environmental sustainability criteria to ensure that biofuels that are to count towards the European targets are sustainable and that they are not in conflict with our overall environmental goals. This means that they must achieve at least a minimum level of greenhouse gas savings and respect a number of requirements related to biodiversity. Among other things this will prevent the use of land with high biodiversity value, such as natural forests and protected areas, being used for the production of raw materials for biofuels.

Biofuels cost more than other forms of renewable energy and without a separate minimum target for biofuels, they will not be developed. This matters because greenhouse gas trends are worst in transport, and biofuels are one of the few measures – alongside vehicle fuel efficiency – realistically capable of making a significant impact on greenhouse gas emissions from transport. In addition, the oil dependence of the transport sector is the most serious security of supply problem of all. And finally, we must remember to send the right signals for the future: the old cars of 2020 are being built today. Vehicle manufacturers need to know what fuel to design for.

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Fuente: Europa.eu