PROGRESS

Background

The development of renewable energy sources (RES) is a central aim of the European Union energy policy. In the Green Paper "Towards a European strategy for the security of energy supply" from 1997, the European Commission has set an objective to increase the share of renewable energy of total energy consumption from 6 % in 1997 to 12 % in 2010 (EU15). The RES-E directive supports the overall 12% target through setting a target of 21 % share of electricity produced from renewable energy source of overall electricity consumption by 2010 in the EU25. A target of minimum 5.75 % fuels placed on the market based on biofuels or other renewable fuels by 2010, in line with Directive 2003/30/EC on the promotion of the use of biofuels or other renewable fuels for transport, has also been adopted by the Member States.

Since the publication of the White Paper "Energy for the future" (1997) and the adoption of the RES-E directive and Biofuels directive, the EU renewable energy sector has developed rapidly. All Member States have introduced policies to support the market introduction and further development of renewable energy technologies and most of them have started to improve the corresponding administrative framework conditions.

The European Commission, Directorate-General for Energy and Transport, has the task to monitor the developments in the promotion and penetration of renewable energy, and to formulate appropriate guidelines or actions if required to meet the targets set. The purpose of PROGRESS (Promotion and Growth of Renewable Energy Sources and Systems) is to provide the Commission with inputs necessary for analysis of the degree of achievement of 2010 national and Community targets under Directive 2001/77/EC. These inputs include market analysis of renewable energy sources , status quo on policies to promote renewable energy in Member States, analysis of administrative, grid barriers and other relevant barriers to promoting renewable energy sources and analysis of the implementation of a system of guarantee of origins in Member States.

Objectives

The objectives of PROGRESS are to provide the European Commission with:

·    an updated analysis and assessment of the deployment of RES for electricity production and the progress achieved following the adoption of the RES-E directive.

·    an updated analysis and assessment of the deployment of RES for heat production and transport purposes and of the progress towards achieving the overall 12% target.

·    analysis and assessment of policy developments and how policies affect the development of RES, hereby an overview of administrative, grid and other relevant barriers. The analyses of the barriers will cover national, regional and local level.

·    analysis of the status of guarantee of origin in Member States and a proposal of common rules.

Geographical coverage

PROGRESS covers all 25 EU Member States as well as Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Macedonia and Turkey.