Directive on renewable energy questioned
Carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generation by Member States of the EU could rise if a directive on the promotion of renewable energy technologies is adopted in its present form, the UK's Royal Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering has claimed in a report published on 10 November. The proposed directive is currently being considered by the European Parliament and Council of Ministers. MEPs will be asked to vote later in November. The proposed directive, which represents a central part of the European Union's strategy to meet its Kyoto targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, sets targets for each Member State of improving renewable sources to a level accounting for 22.1 per cent of electricity generated in the EU by 2010. Submissions to the joint working group suggest however that at least one Member State may not achieve the target. The majority of the submissions also expressed concern that the framework of economic instruments will prevent the renewables industry from developing at the rate necessary for the UK to reach its own ten per cent target by 2010. A spokesman from the Energy and Transport DG stressed that they do, of course, welcome attempts by Member States to achieve higher energy efficiency. 'The directive is flawed because the target for renewables will not be set within an overall limit to the amount of carbon dioxide that results from electricity generation', said Sir Eric Ash, chair of the working group responsible for preparing the report. 'We believe [...] that the EU needs to create more of a level playing field by introducing within the next five years an upstream carbon tax on primary fuels for all Member States'. The EU's strategy is also criticised for failing to encourage other sources of energy, such as large hydroelectric schemes, energy from waste or nuclear power 'that could be used to replace fossil fuels with minimal or no emissions of greenhouse gases'. 'It is clear that this directive alone will not be sufficient to achieve the reduction in carbon dioxide emissions necessary to meet the targets set out in the Kyoto Protocol, or more ambitious long-term cuts', said Sir Eric. 'As an additional measure, we recommend more funding for research into the potential of sequestering the carbon dioxide, for example in deep geological reservoirs.' An Energy and Transport DG spokesman has however emphasised that the directive in question seeks to promote renewables solely in the electricity market, and therefore does not address the issue of other energy sources. The Commission is currently preparing a Green Book on the wider issues of renewable energy, including nuclear issues. The nuclear industry is promoting itself as an alternative to fossil fuel usage. These comments come at a time when representatives of more than 150 governments as well as the EU are debating the issue of harmful emissions and their impact on climatic change at the sixth session of the conference of the parties (Cop6) in The Hague, The Netherlands. It is hoped that the convention will speed up the signing of the Kyoto Protocol, adopted in 1997, which specifies a lowering of emission targets, to be met by 2008 to 2012. The Protocol encourages governments to co-operate with one another, improve energy efficiency, reform the energy and transportation sectors, promote renewable forms of energy, phase out inappropriate fiscal measures and market imperfections, limit methane emissions from waste management and energy systems, and protect forests and other carbon 'sinks'. For the EU, the overriding goal at Cop6 is to ensure decisions are taken that both enable parties to launch the process of ratifying the Protocol, and to safeguard the Protocol's environmental integrity and credibility. The Commission environmental credentials are confirmed by its intention to use the convention as a way of ensuring that industrialised countries take real action to reduce emissions by securing a primary role for domestic policies and measures, establishing a comprehensive and tough regime to oversee parties' compliance with the Protocol, including effective penalties with a clear economic impact for non-compliance by industrialised countries with their emission targets and helping developing countries meet their Convention commitments.