The EIB’s aspiration to “stop lending to fossil-fuel energy projects by the end of 2020” and focus on the “energy efficiency first principle”, renewable energy and the necessity to support a “just transition” for workers in high-carbon sectors, has sent an important signal to financial markets and institutions across the globe.

We hope and expect that the EIB will deliver on its plans and swiftly confirm this level of ambition in its policy, in support of the goal of climate neutrality as the target for all future investment decisions of the EIB.

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Research and Innovation funding is crucial to deliver the EU’s energy and climate objectives. To enable researchers, innovators and entrepreneurs generate fresh ideas, develop breakthrough technologies and create new business models, we are calling upon the European Union to increase R&I funding in the Horizon Europe budget to at least €120 billion, and to ensure a significant share of the budget is directed toward putting Europe on track to reach the Paris Agreement goals.

To reap the benefits of years of R&D and boost European companies exports, we also call upon the European Commission to develop lab-to-market programmes that enable innovative technologies to reach the commercial stage.

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More ambition and better planning to stay world leader in Renewables

Renewable energy associations’ joint messages on the draft National Energy and Climate Plans

The Clean Energy Package sets a renewable energy target of at least 32% by 2030. For investors, this target is the minimum to keep momentum going in the fast-growing sector that is the renewable energy industry. Meeting this target is necessary for Europe to reap the economic benefits resulting from a clean and efficient energy system by 2050. This will strengthen European competitiveness at the global level boosting domestic jobs and growth.

For the EU to be world leader in renewables and leading force on climate action, European and national policies must help increasing renewable energy shares in the final energy demand: in electricity, heating & cooling and transport. This is of utmost importance to decarbonize the EU economy. A higher share of renewable energy in all final energy uses will create more jobs, push technological innovation, boost infrastructure development at the local, regional and national levels.

The recently adopted Clean Energy Package contains concrete provisions to ensure the 2030 decarbonisation objectives are collectively met. Now the National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) submitted by the EU Members States are the key instrument to turn the provisions of the Package into reality. These Plans need to outline the renewable energy deployments over the next decade, being consistent with the EU-wide 32% target and the long-term decarbonization objectives set forth by the Paris Agreement. The renewable energy industry considers that the draft NECPs submitted so far to the European Commission are lacking substantial details:

• Ambition. The NECPs’ level of ambition must be significantly increased to reach the 2030 targets and maintain the competitiveness of the EU renewable energy industry
• Robustness, clarity, visibility. The plans need to clearly translate the provisions of the Clean Energy Package into actionable and forward-looking national policies. Member States should clearly define how they plan to comply with the requirements of provisions such as the sectorial objective on renewable heating and cooling, enabling energy communities, or aligning their electricity market.
• The draft NECPs’ should be aligned with other relevant European policies, such as the innovation policy and the SET Plan targets.

The renewable energy industry is a key enabler of growth in Europe. Our industry now urges the European Union to call for more robustness and ambition in the NECPs, in order to enable the EU to remain on track to meet its renewable energy target to 2030.

All signatories of this letter remain at full disposal to provide more information where needed and hope this call for action will be taken into account.

Download the Joint Letter

In 2018, European tidal stream installations reached 26.8MW, and wave energy installations 11.3MW. Europe continues to lead the world in ocean energy deployments, and last year its tidal projects produced record volumes of electricity, according to yearly statistics published by Ocean Energy Europe.

But other parts of the world, especially Canada and China, are knocking on the door. Tidal power installations outside Europe jumped from zero in 2015 to a total of 6.7MW between 2016 and 2018. Europe still dominates global wave energy installations, but the US is becoming a strong contender with significant financial incentives and plans for pilot sites.

To stay out in front and get projects over the line, the European sector needs revenue support at national level. Ocean Energy Europe’s CEO, Rémi Gruet, emphasised the importance of such incentives. “The power, and learnings, produced by ocean energy technologies in recent years clearly show that it is possible to generate large quantities of electricity from the sea. What we now need to reach industrialisation is revenue support – just like other renewables, and indeed fossil fuels, have also received.”

Tidal stream technology is now proving itself as a reliable and predictable source of energy. After a decade of steadily increasing generation, power production has shifted up a gear in the past two years. Since 2013, 34 gigawatt-hours of electricity has been produced by tidal stream in Europe – enough to power more than 9,000 homes over the same period. The latest wave energy projects to hit the water are proving that these devices are surviving well in harsh conditions, paving the way for larger, more powerful versions in 2019.

The statistics were compiled by Ocean Energy Europe using data gathered from the ocean energy industry.

Dedicated revenue support at national level is essential to attract investment for ocean energy farms, according to a new report from sectoral advisory body ETIP Ocean. The report ‘Powering Homes Today, Powering Nations Tomorrow’ analyses the challenges faced by the sector on the route to industrial roll-out and proposes four actions to overcome them. Alongside revenue support, a model for ‘blended’ public finance will allow the next round of ocean energy projects to reach financial close.

The report also highlights ocean energy’s recent successes, with record volumes of power being supplied to the grid by tidal stream technology, and several promising scale and full-sized wave devices going into the water. It reiterates ocean energy’s potential of providing 10% of Europe’s current electricity consumption by 2050.

Ocean Energy Europe’s Policy Director, Donagh Cagney said: “The technological progress made by ocean energy has been a true European success story, with project teams from across Europe collaborating within EU programmes such as Horizon 2020 and Interreg. To unlock available EU support and private investment, we now call upon national governments to play their part and earmark revenue support specifically for ocean energy.”

With the upcoming decision on the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), the EU institutions will set a direction which will determine the evolution of EU investments and have a direct impact on our energy system for decades to come. Considering the EU commitment to the Paris Agreement towards carbon neutrality by 2050, the forthcoming European Regional and Development Fund (ERDF) and Cohesion Fund (CF) must play their parts in putting renewables (RES) at the centre of the EU energy system and must not include the possibility for subsidies to fossil fuels.

Download the Joint statement.

On September 20th 2018, Ocean Energy Europe along with 3 other EU level organisations released a statement advocating the need to recognise the role of innovation in renewable generation and the specific challenges of demonstrating a new renewable technology at scale. Furthermore, we call for a proper recognition of the role of flexible and/or dispatchable renewable generation in the post 2020 electricity market regulatory framework.

Download the joint statement

The EU’s long-term strategy for emissions reduction must have renewable energy at its centre, according to Europe’s renewable energy industry. The comments come as the European Commission announces its intention to renew the EU’s 2050 energy and climate strategy.

After the successful negotiation of the Renewable Energy Directive, the momentum must not be lost.

28 June 2018. Ocean Energy Europe applauds the publication of a new European Commission “Market Study on Ocean Energy”. The study gives an exceptionally accurate and argumented analysis of what is needed to fulfil the sector’s rapid growth prospects.

It supports the establishment of a European investment platform for ocean energy, in line with the recommendations of the Ocean Energy Roadmap. Yet it states clearly that feed in tariffs or other forms of revenue support will be essential to drive ocean energy technologies down the road to market.

Commenting on the publication, Ocean Energy Europe CEO, Rémi Gruet, said: “This study puts figures on how great an economic opportunity ocean energy represents for Europe: €2.6bn already invested in the EU, 75% of it by private companies; 3.9GW of projects by 2030, representing €9.4bn of investments…’’

Gruet added: “The EU has been a great supporter of ocean energy in the last years, politically and financially. Yet revenue support at a national level is essential for any emerging energy technology to make it to market. It is now up to governments in countries such as France and the UK to reap the benefits of a new industrial sector.”

The final report is available here.

On the occasion of the opening of ICOE and the ‘Assises nationales des énergies marines renouvelables’ of the ‘Syndicat des énergies renouvelables’, ‘l’Appel de Cherbourg’ was launched. The final text was made public on 12 June 2018 and signed on stage by Jean-Louis BAL, SER President, Benoît ARRIVE, Mayor of Cherbourg en Cotentin, Jean-Louis VALENTIN, President of the ‘Communauté d’Agglomération Le Cotentin’, Valérie NOUVEL, Vice-President of the Manche Department and Hubert DEJEAN de la BATIE, Vice-President of the Normandy Region.

Download l’Appel de Cherbourg