Renewables groups hail new EU moves to speed green shift

European renewables groups have welcomed new EU moves to accelerate the build up of clean energy as part of a continuing response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

On the second anniversary of REPowerEU — a package of policies intended to help end dependence on Russian gas supplies — the European Commission has introduced new measures to further support renewables' roll-out.

The latest initiative aimed at strengthening energy security and accelerate transition to renewables includes:

The measures also flesh out the provisions contained in an emergency renewables law that came into force in December 2022, and an updated Renewables Energy Directive of November 2023.

The new initative received strong support from industry group WindEurope.

"REPowerEU has speeded up the permitting of wind farms and helped raise the share of wind in Europe’s electricity mix — it’s now 19%. The EU have now launched new initiatives to keep the momentum of REPowerEU by further accelerating the build-out of renewables," the lobby group pronounced today (Tuesday).

Recalling that Russia was threatening Europe’s economic competitiveness by imposing a severe energy crisis, WindEurope lauded the EU for resisting pressure to weaken its green ambitions under a policy initiative whose main goals also included diversification of gas imports.

“REPowerEU was a milestone in European energy policy. After Russia invaded Ukraine the EU could have easily put the Green Deal on hold. But they did the opposite. They doubled down on renewables. And the results have proven them right. REPowerEU has been a decisive kick-start for Europe’s transition to local, clean and cheap electricity,” said WindEurope CEO Giles Dickson.

In its statement, WindEurope noted that the share of wind in the EU electricity mix has risen from 14% to 19% in the period since REPowerEU was launched, while annual wind energy production has risen from 375TWh to 466TWh, with a corresponding reduction in demand for natural gas.

"Europe’s wind industry now contributes €52bn to EU GDP and employs more than 300,000 people. And this will continue to grow as the EU wants wind to be 35% of the in the electricity mix in 2030 and over half by 2050," the lobby group stated.

Commenting on the new guidance on auction design, WindEurope noted that the EU has made it clear that non-price criteria should be technology-specific, adding that pre-qualification criteria should include cyber and data security and responsible business conduct, and other criteria such as “innovation” should also be used as award criteria.

WindEurope also flagged the European Commission's call for supply chain resilience criteria to be applied as soon as possible to strengthen Europe’s clean tech manufacturing.

“Europe’s moving away from wind auctions based solely on price. Good! Non-price award criteria reward those projects that bring the biggest value to consumers and society. And tighter pre-qualification criteria help raise the bar on what sort of turbines get built,” Dickson added.

WindEurope also praised the Commission's call for effective indexation of auction prices and penalties for non-completion of projects which were described as "crucial" for successful auctions, but with one proviso.

"The Commission have missed a trick by not telling Member States to limit negative bidding. Negative bids add costs which have to be passed on to consumers and the supply chain," WindEurope added.

On permitting, WindEurope saw the Commission's guidance on how Member States should apply the new Renewable Energy Directive as pointing to bundled "one-stop" auctioning and complete digitalisation of permitting procedures by November 2025.

It also welcomed the development of a single contact point to oversee issues faced by developing projects and related infrastructure, while describing the promised Renewables Development Platform as "a useful digital tool" where industry and governments can see exactly what auctions are happening across Europe, including volumes.

Solar boon

For the solar sector, leading industry group SolarPower Europe also welcomed the additional policy initiatives.

“Two years have passed since the unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the sharpening of Europe's focus on energy security. The last 24 months have forever changed the way that Europe looks at renewables and security," commented CEO Walburga Hemetsberger.

"In crisis, solar delivered for Europe with record deployment, supported by the EU Solar Strategy, to get the continent off Russian gas. These new actions are timely, to remind EU leaders not to take solar records for granted, and facilitating further growth.

An EU Solar Strategy was launched alongside the REPowerEU package In May 2022, marking the first-ever EU package dedicated to support solar deployment and manufacturing.

Hemetsberger identified acceleration of permitting, and the involvement of local communities as two prerequisites to reach the REPowerEU targets.

"It is therefore good to see the Commission recommendation for prioritising renewables and infrastructure in permitting, while reinforcing citizens’ engagement. The Commission is also providing much-needed guidance on mapping and acceleration areas, which aligns well with SolarPower Europe’s Guidance on the topic," she said.

WindEurope included some key demands in its comments on the latest EU measures.

"Good auctions and better permitting are only part of what’s needed to drive the further growth of renewables. Europe also needs to accelerate the build-out of grids and drive the electrification of the economy especially heavy industry. And it’s got to ensure a level playing field between clean tech industries in Europe and elsewhere," it said.