Energy Policy
2010-2011: Green Economy and the Decarbonisation Roadmap
2050
Co-chairs: Christian Hey, German
Advisory Council on the Environment (SRU), Filipe Duarte
Santos Portuguese
National Council on Environment and Sustainable Development (CNADS)
Work plan, outcomes and activities 2011:
Following to the European Commission's communication
on The Low Carbon Economy Roadmap, the chair of the EEAC Working group
Energy presented a discussion paper advocating a transition to a low
carbon economy which at the same time must be an exit strategy to nuclear
and fossil fuels, respect biodiversity and may contribute to "green
growth". This paper will be presented at the forthcoming 19th
EEAC Annual Conference on 16 September and further discussed in a
workshop, to take place in Brussels on 4 October 2011. The workshop will
feature flagship reports from Councils on transition processes and a panel
discussion on Energy and Low Carbon Roadmaps.
Go
to the workshop page
Download
the discussion paper on the Commission’s Road Map Communication
(.pdf)
The WG met on April 15 in Brussels, which is the last day of the EU Sustainable
Energy Week (EUSEW). The agenda featured:
-
the assessment of the Decarbonisation Roadmap 2050
and follow-up activities
-
a global equity perspective on Climate, Green Economy
and Rio + 20 : Report from SD WG and Energy WG input + RFDO-CFDD (BE) igave input with the paper "Energy/climate transition in countries
of the South : what strategy for Europe?"
-
Andrzej Kassenberg, council member of the PROS (PL)
and president of the Institute
for Sustainable Development (ISD - PL) submitted his work on an Alternative
Energy Strategy for Poland (pdf. 6,5 MB).
At the EEAC Annual Conference 2011 in Wroclaw, the WG
Energy will hold a breakout session focusing on Low Carbon and Energy Road
Maps and Green Economy. These topics will also serve as input for a workshop
that will be organised in Brussels later this year. The WG is now in the
process of finalising a paper by the chair on A Road Map for a competitive Low
Carbon Economy and lessons for the Energy and Transport 2050 Roadmaps, which
intends to promote reflections within and outside of EEAC on the pathways and
the further initiatives for a European low carbon economy.
In July 2010, the WG commented on a stocktaking document of
the European Commission, called "Towards a new Energy Strategy for
Europe 2011 - 2020". The comments build on the EEAC statements 2009 (infrastructure)
and 2008 (long-term policy making) and relate to the decarbonisation road
map 2050 and the energy infrastructure policy needs from a long-term
perspective.
download
the WG's comments on the EC stocktaking document (2010) (.pdf)
2009-2010: follow-up and and spin-off events of the EEAC Statement
"Towards Sustainable European Infrastructures"
Chair: Christian Hey, German
Advisory Council on the Environment (SRU)
Outcomes 2010:
The Chair's comments on the European Commission's stock taking document “Towards a new Energy Strategy for Europe 2011 –
2020”
In July 2010, the WG commented on a stocktaking document of
the European Commission, called "Towards a new Energy Strategy for
Europe 2011 - 2020". The comments build on the EEAC statements 2009
(infrastructure) and 2008 (long-term policy making) and relate to the
decarbonisation road map 2050 and the energy infrastructure policy needs from
a long-term perspective.
Ultimately, a transition scenario towards a 100% renewable power sector therefore should be one of the options to be considered for 2050 Road-Map and effectively compared with other power mix scenarios.
As the European Commission has indicated, the existing framework for TEN-E is insufficient and needs to become “more strategic, coherent and better resourced”. In that respect, the role of ACER also needs to be strengthened.
Download
document containing the Chair's comments (pdf.)
Workshop "Scenarios
and Policies for Decarbonisation"
On March 22, the WG Energy held a workshop in the premises of
the EESC (European Economic and Social Committee) in Brussels with the title "Scenarios
and Policies for Decarbonisation". This event was also registered
under the activities within the European
Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW). The workshop's purpose is to bring some
of the scenario writers on energy together and to discuss common and diverging
assumptions, methods and outcomes. Eventually this will lead also to some
shared policy conclusions. Christian Hey, chair of the Working Group Energy,
initiated this event, as a follow-up to the EEAC 2009 Statement "Towards
Sustainable European Infrastructures" where 10 steps towards
decarbonisation are highlighted. The workshop focused on the analysis of
the Eurelectric study "Power Choices - Pathways to Carbon-Neutral
Electricity in Europe by 2050".
In his conlcusion, the WG Chair states that that renewable sources in Europe
have the potential to provide most if not all the electricity needed. 100% RES
(Renewable Energy Sources) for electricity can be achieved at competitive
costs while respecting biodiversity and while ensuring that the electricity
demand is met at all times. The scenarios illustrate, that electricity from
renewable sources may become the sustainable solution to our electricity
system.
Read
more.
Furthermore, the WG will contribute to one of the priority topics
identified by the Forward Looking Paper, namely "Going beyond the New Green Deal".
2009: "Towards Sustainable European
Infrastructures"
Chair: Christian Hey, German
Advisory Council on the Environment (SRU)
Main outcome 2009
During 2009 the Working Group Energy (WG Energy) prepared the EEAC Annual Conference and
Statement 2009 (pdf., 500 kB)
"Towards Sustainable European Infrastructures" with the focus on
transport, energy and green networks. In the point of view of the WG, the success of the EEAC
2009
Conference and Statement
is outreach, with attendance from the Commission, EESC, ESDN, and interest by
the European Movement. A press
release summarises the highlights of the 2009 Statement.
- In January the WG met in Brussels to prepare the theme
for the 17th Annual conference 2009. The group discussed to change the
name of the Conference and Statement into: Towards Sustainable European
Networks. For the statement the WG agreed on: the overall orientation of
the statement introduction, where the link to the EEAC statement 2008
should be made more explicit; that the message of the transport
infrastructure needs to address more fundamental aspects of a transition
rather than individual instruments/modes; focusing on the point to keep
the options for a transition towards renewables open; following the
suggestion from Comhar for the idea "Green Networks". For the
Conference the WG agreed on: some invited speakers to be contacted; one
working group in the conference day to be an experimental case for a
interactive approach with a specific technical solution provided by the
CEPRS (SLO) and a special event, Risk prevention from Maritime Oil and gas
Transport, to be organised by the Croatian host, SORZO (HR), on Thursday
21 October.
- In April the WG Energy met in Berlin and continued the
preparations for the annual conference and the statement 2009. The
WG also settled a timetable for the forthcoming work. A tele-conference
was held on 25 May to follow-up this process, this resulted in a
full draft of the Statement at the end of May.
-
In
June councils with delegates in the WG were asked to
endorse the Statement. 19 councils in total endorsed the document.
-
In
October the Statement was officially presented at the Annual
Conference in Dubrovnik together with a press
release. The WG also initiated the dissemination process towards
stakeholders.
-
In December the WG
Biodiveristy chair Noel Casserly (COMHAR-SDC, IE) met with representatives
of the DG Environment and presented the part of the 2009 Statement on
green infrastructures.
download the
2009 Statement
and the press
release
For the main outcomes of
the past years, please continue reading the archived
pages