STUDIES

 

Study on the Implementation of the New EU Renewables Directive

 

The aim of the study was to investigate the impact and modalities of a possible inclusion of the new 'Directive on the promotion of the use of energy from Renewable Energy Sources' in the Energy Community Treaty. It had the following tasks:
 

Task 1 Review the current state of development of renewable energy in each of the Contracting Parties and candidate Contracting Parties
Task 2 Analyse the impact of the new requirements of the Renewable Directive have for the Contracting Parties and Candidate Contracting Parties considering the available renewable energy potential and the provisions for co-operation among EU MS and CP foreseen in the present Directive
Task 3 Based on the methodology prepared by the European Commission, calculate targets to be achieved by 2020.
Task 4 Provide an evaluation of the costs associated with the fulfilment of the mandatory targets referred to under Task 3, assess the investment opportunities, the associated employment possibilities, GHG savings and reduction in fossil fuel consumption.

 

An open tender procedure and evaluation of the bid followed. On 29 Apr 2009 the Secretariat signed a contract with IPA ENERGY & WATER ECONOMICS and EPU-NTUA. The initial findings of the study were presented to the Task Force in Feb 2010. The study was additionally discussed at the PHLG Mar and Jun 2010 meetings, including the joint PHLG and Task Force meeting in May 2010.  
 

The key findings

Based on the equivalent level of ambition as of the EU Member States, the study calculates a RES share of 24 % in 2020 for the Energy Community. The level of the national shares differ between contracting Parties (from 19% in Montenegro to 36% in Albania), mainly depending on their current share of renewable energy.

Furthermore the study highlights a vast renewable energy potential for the region. Wood is an extensively used source of heating fuel throughout the Energy Community. As a result, the “biomass consumption in 2005 is therefore a critical element of the renewable energy target calculation.”
According to the study, a 24% share of renewables could be achieved by an increase in 2.5 GW of new wind and 1 GW of new hydro capacities, if the renewable energy target for heating could be meet entirely from biomass – which in total would cost up to € 5.4 billion in the “business as usual” case.
 


 

 

Study on Biomass Consumption

 

After having examined the findings of the RES study, the lack of adequate biomass data across the region became evident. This, in return, hindered the 17th PHLG from proposing a decision on the adoption of the EU Renewable Energy Directive 2009/28/EC in 2010. At the very same meeting, the PHLG requested the Secretariat to launch a new study on biomass consumption based on surveys. The results of the survey will subsequently serve as a basis for the re-calculation of the RES targets.

 

The objective of this Biomass Study is to determine the biomass consumption for electricity, heating and cooling based on representative and consistent consumption surveys and to report on the share of energy produced from biomass in the gross final consumption of energy in the Energy Community Contracting Parties.
 

As a result of a open tender procedure, the Energy Community Secretariat signed a contract with Centre for Renewable Energy Sources and Saving, CRES, in Nov 2010.  CRES will carry out biomass consumption surveys and collect data for the years 2009 and 2010 and reconstruct the statistical energy data series back to reference year 2005 according to EUROSTAT practice. The resulting report will provide the data required for the calculation of the 2020 RES target of each Contracting Party according to the methodology used for EU Member States. 


At the 5th RE TF in Mar 2011, CRES outlined the task force members the applied methodology and working approach. It already submitted a draft final report to the ECS and presented the initial findings of the survey at the 6th RE TF in Jun 2011. The discussion about the findings and, particularly the newly calculated national targets by IPA, are still ongoing.
 

 

 

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