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Comission fails to deliver Directive proposal on renewable heating and cooling |
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Friday, 26 January 2007 |
Renewable heating and cooling is now definitely recognised as essential for the future of Europe’s energy supply, this is good news from the Renewable Energy Roadmap, presented recently by the European Commission. Bad news is that the Commission did not deliver the Directive proposal requested by the European Parliament, reveals a press release from ESTIF (the European Solar Thermal Industry Federation).
“We are pleased to see that solar thermal and other renewable heating and cooling technologies are now fully integrated as a crucial element of Europe’s renewables strategy, at least in the discourse of the Renewable Energy Roadmap”, said Raffaele Piria, Policy Director of the European Solar Thermal Industry Federation (ESTIF), “but we are missing concrete measures”.
Until a few years ago, solar thermal was neglected at EU level and by most Member States, though it is one of the most cost effective renewable technologies, which can be directly applied on most of Europe’s buildings.
 EU Directives have been adopted to promote renewables in the electricity and in the transport sector, but no legislative framework exists for renewable heating and cooling (RES-H).
In 2004, ESTIF initiated a campaign to set RES-H on the European agenda. This concern has been endorsed by a broad coalition of renewable and conventional heating industries, NGOs, energy agencies, municipalities, academics and citizens. In February 2006, the European Parliament adopted, by an overwhelming multi-party and cross-country majority, a resolution asking the Commission to present a Directive proposal to promote RES-H, including specific targets at EU and national level.
“Almost one year after the European Parliament’s resolution, we are very disappointed that the Commission is not yet prepared to follow up with action and table a Directive proposal with clear targets and measures to promote renewable heating and cooling”, said Ole Pilgaard, President of ESTIF. “The European solar thermal market is growing strongly, but still based on very few leading countries. Our industry needs strong and balanced demand all over the EU, to be able to achieve the economies of scale necessary to make solar fully competitive with heating from fossil fuels or electricity”.
The solar thermal sector argues for a EU renewable heating and cooling Directive, including European and national targets for RES-H as well as a positive legal framework for support measures to be flexibly adopted by each Member State, according to its circumstances.
Without specific targets for renewable heating and cooling, investors, citizens and policy makers might continue to overlook the huge, unexploited potential of solar thermal and other technologies. Renewable heating targets should be accompanied by updated targets for 2020 for renewables in the electricity and in the transport sector, within the framework of the relative existing Directives.
Later this month, ESTIF will publish an Action Plan for Solar Thermal in Europe, including analysis of success and barriers to growth as well as guidelines for best practice policies. This Action Plan will be presented at the 2007 European Renewable Energy Policy Conference, organised by EREC (European Renewable Energy Council), 29-31 January, Brussels. |
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