For 25 years, EREF is the voice of independent renewable energy producers in Europe, leading the transition to net-zero by making renewables the main energy source that powers our societies. EREF unites national renewable associations and represents all renewable technologies. With its recommendations for ambitious climate and energy policies, EREF has significantly contributed to improved EU and national framework conditions for accelerated decarbonisation and consequent energy system transformation.
Today, EREF is established as trusted partner among EU institutions and the wider climate and energy stakeholder community, dedicated to shape legal and policy reform initiatives that makes the vision of a net-zero and democratic energy sector become reality, providing green, secure and affordable energy to Europe’s citizens and businesses.
Recs for new Commission agenda (2024 – 2029)
The EU is at a crucial moment of shaping its transition to net-zero economies. In the context of the European Council’s new strategic agenda and the Commission’s updated Political Guidelines, EREF continues providing recommendations for an accelerated and simplified renewable energy deployment. We now need the effective and full implementation of the European Green Deal, as well as a targeted framework for advancing EU decarbonisation efforts over the 2030-40 decade. EREF is set to support any ambitious law and policy making that the incoming Commission will issue to this purpose, recommending pursuing the following initiatives in the upcoming policy cycle:
- Policy recommendations for a fast and steep renewable energy development
- Fit-for-renewables market design and infrastructure transformation
- A stronger European renewable energy-based net zero industry, including growing manufacturing capacities for net-zero technologies
- Implementing better Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanisms (CBAM) and phasing out free Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) allowances
- Improve taxonomy and include all renewables as sustainable technologies
You can find EREF’s full report here.
Setting Ambitious 2040 Climate Targets
EREF recommends the adoption and consequent enactment of ambitious 2040 EU climate targets that will foster sustainable energy system transformation. While the proposed targets of reducing GHG-emissions by of 90% goes in the right direction, EREF proposes additional measures.
The emission reduction must be complemented with a renewable energy target of at least 80% in the gross final energy consumption across all sectors, including sub-targets for electricity, heating and cooling, transport, and industry. Moreover, sub-targets must be set for renewable fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBO) and synthetic aviation fuels, to ensure comprehensive decarbonisation. Such an ambitious target framework should align with international decarbonisation commitments, including a clear GHG reduction path for 2035, 2030 and 2045. The EU must also prioritise the development of enabling strategies on renewables deployment and the phase-out fossil fuels, to meet the COP 28 objective of tripling global renewable capacity.
You can find our position on the 2040 targets here and our open letter here.
Ensuring effective RED implementation
To accelerate and simplify renewable energy development, Member States must now proceed with the swift and effective transposition of the revised Renewable Energy Directive (RED III) into national laws and frameworks. Considering the substantial legal and regulatory changes that RED III requires from national and regional authorities, EREF welcomes the Commission’s support and guidance – especially on shortened and simplified permit granting procedures, which extend to designating acceleration areas, one-stop shops for project developers, as well as skilled staff among authorities and the removal of administrative barriers. EREF can, through its members’ expertise and best practices, support the European Commission in the consultation and delivery of technical assistance that helps effectively transpose and implementation provisions that have been adopted under the FitFor55 and the REPowerEU initiatives.
Ensuring effective NECP implementation
With revised National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs), the focus must now shift to ensure effective implementation. It remains essential to ensure that all submitted plans align with the EU’s 2030 climate and energy targets. EREF works closely with the European Commission and national governments to identify gaps and ensure consistency between NECPs and long-term strategies (nLTSs).
Find here our press release on NECPs and here on nLTSs
Flexibility for more renewable energy and Energy Market Design
To accelerate decarbonisation, we need to make use of all available renewable energy technologies and advance system transformation that benefits from the broad range of flexibility solutions that are available. With a renewable energy share of 60% and beyond, long-term flexibility options such as storage, demand response, aggregation power-to-X, and network upgrades are essential for managing longer periods of negative residual load, both power-to-gas and power-to-liquid.
Vital to the transition are energy markets acknowledging that renewables are now system-defining technologies that will outweigh all non-renewable sources. It is therefore essential to further develop market architectures that are designed for renewables, instead of trying to integrate renewables into today’s outdated systems. Existing regulations, such as the recently agreed electricity market design reform, are not in line with the requirements of a fossil-free and 100% renewable energy market. Providing clear investment signals for developing flexibility is key to ensure the stability of the power system.
Overhauling the Governance Regulation
Revising the Governance Regulation would offer an opportunity for the reintroduction of legally binding national renewable energy targets and to introduce sectoral emission targets as well as nationally differentiated climate-neutrality targets. In addition, the revision should strengthen its accountability mechanisms for addressing delivery gaps, specifically on achieving renewable energy and energy efficiency targets. EREF provides data and recommendations to the EU and national decision-makers to ensure that a revised framework would comply with the implementation of ambitious renewable energy and energy efficiency targets.
Find our contribution to the call for evidence on the Governance Regulation Review Report here.
Strengthening the stance of Green Hydrogen
Only renewable hydrogen and its derivatives can be labelled as green. Further sustainability criteria based on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) should be defined, with emphasis on domestic and regional green production and consumption pathways.
In recent years, hydrogen and its derivatives have gained significant attention, also due to their storage capabilities. They are particularly valuable for achieving decarbonisation goals in “hard-to-abate”-sectors, such as in industry (e.g. steel, chemicals), and transport (e.g. aviation and maritime transport). These sectors should be prioritized for hydrogen application due to their limited potential and availability of alternative solutions.
The new Commission should readjust the current Delegated Act on Green Hydrogen to ensure that non-renewable investment pathways do not impede or delay the full transition to a renewable energy system. It should also reassess priorities for new renewable production plants to include existing, unsupported plants in the Member States which could accelerate the roll-out of green hydrogen, especially in regions located in vicinity to the above-mentioned industries, or where coal-transition takes place.
Skills development for the successful transition to net-zero
To address the substantial and growing shortage of skilled workforce that is required for advancing Europe’s transition to net-zero, reform measures must extend beyond the current, limited NZIA provisions for skills development. Professionals who want to work in the energy transition should be encouraged and supported to reskill and upskill, in the of context the industry’s evolving needs.
The EU needs to speed up the recognition of professional qualifications, facilitate access to regulated professions, and promote cross-border training centres and cooperation between employment agencies. In addition, it should foster better integration of foreign workers and unlock funding for skills development.
EREF is actively supporting this process as a partner of the Horizon Europe project SKILL BILL, designed to strengthen the foundation for the growth of skills that are required for meeting the EU’s climate and renewable energy targets. This involves engaging stakeholders, disseminating scientific expertise, and skilling multi-level workers.
Promoting individual and collective self-consumption of renewable energy
EREF works towards a future where energy consumers, both households and businesses, are becoming active on energy markets, exploiting the tremendous value that is offered by self-consumption and energy sharing. Active prosumers and energy communities increase the acceptance and local support for renewable energy projects and enhance democratic processes and transparent governance. Benefits further include reduced energy costs and thus lower poverty risks, less energy import dependency, and a higher energy supply security. Renewable energy and flexibility options are already being embraced by a range of participants, from larger and smaller producers to energy communities and cooperatives, prosumers, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as well as innovative large-scale companies.
To support this, EREF is a partner in the RESCHOOL project, which develops strategies and tools for the incentivization and management of flexibility in energy communities Specifically, this project aims to enhance collective citizen participation in the energy transition and strengthen relationships with stakeholders, including system operators, aggregators, and other energy communities.