Renewables [EU]

Renewable energy

Directive (EU) 2018/2001 on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources

It recasts and repeals previous legislation (Directive 2008/28/EC, Directive (EU) 2015/1513 and Council Directive 2013/18/EU).
It establishes a common system to promote energy from renewable sources across the different sectors. In particular, it:
sets a binding European Union (EU) target for its share in the energy mix in 2030;
regulates self-consumption for the first time; and
establishes a common set of rules for the use of renewables in electricity, heating and cooling, and transport in the EU.

The increased use of energy from renewable sources will be crucial to combat climate change, protect our environment and reduce our energy dependency, as well as to contribute to the EU’s technological and industrial leadership and the creation of jobs and growth, including in rural and isolated areas.

Key Points

Promoting renewable forms of energy is one of the goals of EU energy policy. The increased use of energy from renewable sources is an important part of the package of measures needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to comply with the 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the EU policy framework for climate and energy (2020 to 2030).

This recast directive – along with the revised energy efficiency directive (Directive (EU) 2018/2002), which amended Directive 2012/27/EU on energy efficiency, and a new governance regulation (Regulation (EU) 2018/1999) – is part of the clean energy for all Europeans package, which aims to provide new, comprehensive rules on energy regulation for the 2020–2030 period.

The directive includes:

a binding EU overall target for 2030 of at least 32% of energy from renewable sources;
rules for cost-effective and market-based financial support for electricity from renewable sources;
protection of support schemes from modifications that put existing projects at risk;
cooperation mechanisms between EU Member States, and between Member States and non-EU countries;
simplification of administrative procedures for renewables projects (including one-stop shops, time limits and digitalisation);
an improved guarantee of origin system, extended to all renewables;
rules allowing consumers to produce their own electricity, individually or as part of renewable energy communities, without undue restrictions;
in the heating and cooling sector:
an annual increase of 1.3 percentage points in the share of renewable energy in the sector,
the right for consumers to disconnect from inefficient district heating and cooling systems, and
third-party access for suppliers of renewables and waste heat and cooling to district heating and cooling networks;
in the transport sector:
a binding target of 14% with a specific sub-target for advanced biofuels of 3.5%, and
caps on conventional biofuels and the gradual phase out of biofuels with a high risk of not saving emissions;
strengthened EU sustainability criteria for bioenergy, by extending their scope to cover all fuels produced from biomass regardless of their final energy use.

The directive:

ensures that the EU’s binding target is achieved cost-effectively;
establishes a stable, market-oriented European approach to renewable electricity;
provides long-term certainty for investors and speeds up procedures for permits to build projects;
enables consumers to take part in the energy transition with the right to produce their own renewable energy;
increases the use of renewables in the heating and cooling and the transport sectors;
strengthens EU sustainability criteria for bioenergy.

Delegated acts and implementing acts

Several delegated and implementing acts have been adopted by the European Commission. Among these, Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/2003 establishes the EU’s renewables development platform, which aims to support Member States interested in renewable energy cooperation mechanisms and, in particular, statistical transfers. These transfers are one of three types of renewable energy cooperation mechanisms defined in Directive 2009/28/EC and Directive (EU) 2018/2001. They provide flexibility for Member States to increase their statistical renewable energy share, which serves to meet their 2020 renewable energy targets and their planned national contribution to the EU’s 2030 renewables target respectively.

Application & Background

The directive had to be transposed into national law by 30 June 2021.

For further information, see:

Renewable energy (European Commission).

Energy from renewable sources. Energy from renewable non-fossil sources, such as wind, solar (thermal and photovoltaic), aerothermal, geothermal, hydrothermal, ambient heat, tide, wave and other ocean energy, hydropower, biomass, landfill gas, sewage treatment plant gas and biogases.

MAIN DOCUMENT

Directive (EU) 2018/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018 on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources (recast) (OJ L 328, 21.12.2018, pp. 82–209).

Successive amendments to Directive (EU) 2018/2001 have been incorporated in the original text. This consolidated version is of documentary value only.

RELATED DOCUMENTS
Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/2003 of 6 August 2021 supplementing Directive (EU) 2018/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council by establishing the Union renewable development platform (OJ L 407, 17.11.2021, pp. 4–8).

Regulation (EU) 2018/1999 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018 on the Governance of the Energy Union and Climate Action, amending Regulations (EC) No 663/2009 and (EC) No 715/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council, Directives 94/22/EC, 98/70/EC, 2009/31/EC, 2009/73/EC, 2010/31/EU, 2012/27/EU and 2013/30/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council, Council Directives 2009/119/EC and (EU) 2015/652 and repealing Regulation (EU) No 525/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 328, 21.12.2018, pp. 1–77).

 

Directive (EU) 2018/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018 amending Directive 2012/27/EU on energy efficiency (OJ L 328, 21.12.2018, pp. 210–230).

Directive 2012/27/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012 on energy efficiency, amending Directives 2009/125/EC and 2010/30/EU and repealing Directives 2004/8/EC and 2006/32/EC (OJ L 315, 14.11.2012, pp. 1–56).