03-07-2014
Europeans test energy cooperatives to boost independence
EU officials look at Belgium as an example for cooperative energy projects, as the 28-country bloc looks to de-carbonise and gain more energy independence. European Commission and energy experts met in Brussels last week for EU Sustainable Energy Week, as the EU’s relationship with Russia continued to look strained over Ukraine.
03-07-2014
EU’s 2030 reform should recognise community power as essential to low carbon economy
The 2030 climate and energy reform process should integrate support for community power in EU legislation, or Europe’s energy will continue to be dominated by centralised power companies and fossil fuels. Community power means communities sharing and investing in their own renewable energy production, including hydro-electric, wind and solar power.
03-07-2014
EU funds for energy projects closer to citzens in Central and Eastern Europe
While the negotiations between Member States, the European Commission and stakeholders on the 2014 - 2020 EU funds' spending plans are still in full swing, the analysis of those draft investment plans, so called Operational Programmes, already reveals the paradigm shift regarding investments into the decentralization and decarbonisation of CEE countries' energy systems.
13-06-2014
Spain sets new tariff regime for green energy
A new tariff regime for renewables, cogeneration and waste-to-energy approved by Spain’s government last Friday will save €1.7bn and bring the country’s electricity deficit for 2014 “close to zero”, industry minister José Manuel Soria has announced.
The accumulated deficit, caused by industrial and domestic consumers being shielded from the full costs of power production, is currently €29.1bn. The minister blamed the rising cost of debt financing and premium tariffs paid to green energy producers.
12-06-2014
Welcoming Highland hydro
A long awaited community owned hydro plant in Kingussie has finally become a reality. After nine long years the Kingussie Community Development Company (KCDC) are celebrating the installation of a new community hydro plant on the river Gynack. The hydro plant construction began today and is due to be completed in 8 weeks’ time.
10-06-2014
Join event on 'Community energy: accelerating sustainable energy roll-out in Europe', 25 June 2014, Brussels, in the framework of EUSEW 2014 High Level Policy Conference
What are local governments across Europe doing to accelerate community-owned renewables towards 2030? How does the EU energy and policy framework for 2030 facilitate this process? What is the business sector’s position in this discussion? These questions and more will be answered at “Community energy: accelerating sustainable energy roll-out in Europe”, taking place on 25 June 2014. Organised in the framework of the EUSEW 2014 High Level Policy Conference, it will focus on sustainable energy roll-out in Europe in the run-up to 2030, with a specific focus on the potential of community-led and owned RES for local and regional development.
06-06-2014
Heat pumps: waiting for the final push
As gas faces a reputational challenge from Ukraine, electric heat pumps are emerging as a promising alternative source of heating. Heat pumps can also make an important contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Oddly enough, although heating and cooling accounts for 45% of the EU’s final energy consumption there is no EU-wide heating and cooling strategy. Some countries such as UK and Italy are introducing support for individual technologies such as heat pumps, however.
04-06-2014
Valley Wind supporters take their message to Huddersfield town centre
People who support a controversial proposal for three large turbines on Slaithwaite Moor took their message to Huddersfield town centre. They say that in the most recent Public Attitudes Tracker from the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) 70% of people said they support the development of onshore wind – the highest ever figure since DECC’s regular opinion polls began in March 2012.
02-06-2014
Ten take-home messages from the new European Energy Security Strategy
On 28 May the European Commission published a new energy security strategy for the EU that sets out a long list of short-, medium- and long-term actions to reduce dependence on Russian gas. These range from regional “stress tests” for supply disruptions to new priority gas infrastructure projects to serious examination of centralised gas purchases. For many however, it is energy efficiency that will make or break this strategy.
27-05-2014
“100% RES, yes we can!” – Good practice brochure is available
The bilingual online-brochure entitled “100% RE Regions in Germany, Europe and the world” introduces selected examples of good practices and promotes networking between all stakeholders involved, in particular in terms of international cooperation. 100% RES has now managed to become not only a valuable mission statement and attractive political vision but also a daily routine that is being spread and lived by many of the local and regional actors.
