Position Papers
EWEA response to Public Consultation: Towards a newEnergy Strategy for Europe 2011-2020
June 2010
EWEA welcomes the public consultation on a new Energy Strategy for Europe 2011-2020 given that Europe faces tough challenges over the coming years: climate change, depleting indigenous energy resources, increasing fuel and carbon costs and the threat of supply disruptions.
Key issues for the new Energy Strategy:
1. A strong focus on implementing agreed policies
- Implement the 2009 Renewable Energy Directive
- Implement the 3rd internal energy market package
2. Full integration in the longer term perspective
3. Priority areas for the future strategy
- Modern integrated grids
- Making progress towards a low-carbon energy system
- Leadership in technological innovation
- A strong and coordinated external energy policy
- Protecting the EU citizens
EWEA response to the European Wind Integration Study
May 2010
A consortium of Transmission System Operators (TSOs) carried out the European Wind Integration Study (EWIS) from 2007 to 2009, financed by the European Commission, and provided the final draft report at the beginning of December 2009. The study was published in April 2010.
The overall aim of EWIS is to examine how best to accommodate wind generation on a large scale up to 2015, from the perspective of European TSOs. With this paper, EWEA aims to highlight the key results from the study and provide a first assessment of its conclusions...
EWEA Position on Greenhouse Gas Reductions
May 2010
EWEA welcomes the Communication from the Commission and urges Council and European Parliament to agree to 30% domestic GHG reductions by 2020, in order to maintain Europe’s technological and industrial leadership in renewable energy technologies, particularly wind power, in a rapidly growing global market. EWEA is disappointed that the Communication falls short of recommending an immediate unilateral EU move to 30% reduction given that the Communication highlights numerous benefits of moving to 30%...
EWEA Response on the CEER call for evidence on Generation Adequacy Treatment in Electricity
April 2010
EWEA welcomes the CEER call for evidence as European legislation has not been prescriptive and explicit in the way generation adequacy should be established. In the absence of a proper regulatory framework to establish liquid and efficient electricity markets it is therefore required that all relevant stakeholders deliberate on a more detailed approach to address generation adequacy needs in the IEM.
European Regulators, together with investors in new capacity, the European Commission, and Member States, should continue to acknowledge the contribution of wind generation to Security of Supply in Europe. Wind energy provides a domestic energy source, which is not only fossil-fuel free, but also free from any economic risk emerging from fuel and carbon price volatility as experienced in the recent years. The key advantage of wind power over conventional technologies is that investors have control over generation cost for the life time of the plant: mean site wind speed and the cost of a fully installed wind plant are known from the outset. European Energy Regulators should therefore recognise that the apparently higher wind energy costs have to be compared with the opportunity to plan the economic future of Europe on the basis of known and predictable costs.
EWEA response to the ENTSO-E consultation on the first draft of the Community-wide Ten-Year Electricity Network Development Plan
The swift achievement of deliverables outlined in the 3rd Package is of utmost importance as network developments must be carried out in good time in order to integrate large amounts of wind power, and other renewable energy technologies. When envisaging penetration levels of 34% renewable electricity by 2020, an early release of this 'Pilot' 10 Year Network Development Plan (TYNDP), followed promptly by an updated TYNDP incorporating the National Renewable Energy Action Plans, is crucial to reach this target. By 2020, most of the EU's renewable electricity will be produced by onshore wind farms. Europe must, however, also use the coming decade to prepare for the large-scale exploitation of its largest indigenous resource, offshore wind power. Europe's 2020 targets would not be achievable in an economical way if mayor transmission projects were not built, or were significantly delayed.
EWEA response on the ERGEG Position Paper on Smart Grids
March 2010
Several factors require the significant upgrade of transmission and distribution
networks, and the ERGEG paper on Smart Grids addresses most of these challenges. The main challenge at distribution level is a modernisation of networks to adapt to the new realities where generation is implemented closer to demand and where there is a need and opportunity thanks to technical developments for improved end-user participation and massive demand-side response. Technical innovations are enabling the creation of micro grids which under certain critical circumstances (for example during a serious fault at transmission level) would be able to disconnect from transmission network and still satisfy consumer demand in a reliable way. In EWEA’s opinion, this modernised distribution level is the main area for using the terminology Smart Grids.
EWEA response on the ERGEG consultation on the draft advice on the Community-wide Ten-year Electricity Network Development Plan
March 2010
ENTSO-E's ongoing work on the first draft of the Ten-Year Network Development Plan (TYNDP) and the present ERGEG consultation document will ensure an early development of a first TYNDP during the interim period of the 3rd Liberalisation Package which is urgently needed. Time is of the essence in grid development in order to meet the 2020 targets. By 2020, most of the EU’s renewable electricity will be produced by onshore wind farms. Europe must, however, also use the coming decade to prepare for the large-scale exploitation of its largest indigenous resource, offshore wind power. Next to the actual grid development plan, the European Regulators advice on the TYNDP and its implementation will be crucial to achieve a joint European approach to overcome planning and administrative barriers for infrastructure, lack of public acceptance of such infrastructure, lack of economic incentives for TSOs to invest and finally to ensure fair and unbiased access to the grid for wind power installations and other renewables.
EWEA response on the ENTSO-E Research & Development Plan EUROGRID 2020
February 2010
EWEA welcomes the ENTSO-E document «Research and development plan - EUROGRID 2020" as a significant step forward in implementing the third liberalization package. The proposed R&D programme contains key elements for the integration of large quantities of renewable electricity in the European system by 2020, particularly wind power, and is therefore also key for the implementation of the renewable Energy Directive (2009/28).
EWEA believes that in addition to facilitating the 2020 European system, the proposed R&D programme must form the basis for the transformation of the present European power system into a 2050 renewable-based power system.
EWEA response on the CEER Consultation on regulatory aspects of the integration of wind generation in European electricity markets
February 2010
This consultation is a good starting point for feedback on electricity market and network access arrangements for wind energy as well as touching upon the urgent issue of an offshore supergrid. The deployment of renewables, particularly wind power, and the integration of European electricity markets, are fundamentally linked, and should not be approached as two separate topics. Moreover, it provides an instructive overview of how wind power generation is currently treated within national network, market and regulatory frameworks across Member States.
EWEA hopes that the consultation conclusions could be used as input with regard to the final deliverables foreseen in the 3rd Package, in particular network codes and framework guidelines on network access and electricity markets.
EWEA response on the ERGEG Draft Strategy Paper: Role of the Regional Initiatives
January 2010
The creation of a more integrated European energy market is of utmost importance for the wind energy sector. For an efficient integration of wind energy into the European energy network, transmission capacity is essential, but this factor alone is not enough. Along with an adequate physical infrastructure, integrated electricity markets and rules are required that lead to an efficient allocation of these transmission lines that takes into account generation from variable and decentralised generation sources, such as wind power. EWEA acknowledges that Regional Initiatives (RIs) will play a role in the path towards a single electricity market and hereby provides its view on this matter, as the deployment of renewables, particularly wind power, and the integration of European electricity markets are mutual drivers.
Next to existing intergovernmental initiatives, such as the "North Seas Countries’ Offshore Grid Initiative", there are currently seven RIs, created in a voluntary manner by the European Regulators. These RIs have now gained a legally binding character with the adoption of the 3rd Liberalisation Package.
A Strategy for the way forward of these RIs is therefore needed to set the overall direction of market integration and point out how and when these different RIs could converge into a single market in the future.
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