|
Conclusion & Recommendations
Improved energy efficiency has a fundamental role to play in the
European Union’s security
of supply. Cogeneration has a major contribution to make to
energy efficiency.
The challenges with cogeneration as with energy efficiency as a
whole do not lie with a lack
of technology -this is already available- the problems lie
squarely in the areas of political
leadership and policy implementation. The Second Strategic
Energy review should re-affirm
that political leadership exists and include Energy Efficiency
as a key element based on its:
•
Clear ability to enhance energy security of the EU and
its Member States
•
Clear potential in further developing the external dimension
of the EU energy policy
•
Clear value as low risk action with near term impact
Energy efficiency within the security of supply context will be
increased by the wider
deployment of cogeneration and in this context COGEN Europe
advocates:
1) The European Union’s target of 20% savings in primary fuel
use by 2020 should be
made robust in definition and made mandatory: Making the target
mandatory will
place it on an equal footing with the other climate change
objectives of the European
Union
2) The Cogeneration Directive 2004/08/EC should be fully
implemented in every Member
State and proceedings started against those Member States which
are not compliant.
Particular attention should be given to the following aspects of
the legislation:
•
Transparent, functional, non-bureaucratic and predictable rules
covering
connection of decentralised generating capacity to the grid.
•
Fair, transparent pricing for connection of cogenerators to the
grid
•
Appropriate effective support mechanisms (Feed-in tariffs are
the single most
effective support mechanism yet identified within the EU27 to
promote
additional capacity investment in cogeneration and thus lower
national primary
energy demand)
3) EU ETS Phase III should be made effective for cogeneration
which uniquely offsets
emissions remotely from the point of operation, and works across
sectors and
markets.
|
