The 2007 IEE Info Day was broadcast live by the ManagEnergy Internet Broadcast service. The complete documentation from the Info Day is now available online.

Video Recordings:
View the Video Recordings

Info Day slides:
ec.europa.eu/energy/intelligent/events/infodays_en.htm

Call for proposals 2007:
ec.europa.eu/energy/intelligent/call_for_proposals/call_library_en.htm

ALTENER: New and Renewable Energy Resources

Renewable energy sources (RES) can provide a wide range of energy services sustainably, and can be produced locally within the EU, delivering secure supplies of electricity, heating and cooling, and motive power for transport without adding to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. RES are becoming more competitive, and policies supporting the use of RES are making the manufacture and supply of RE technologies, as well as the production of bioenergy resources (biomass and biofuels) more attractive as business opportunities. Actions supported under ALTENER should build on existing EU policies and legislation (see below), and help to increase the use of RE in the EU.

The 1997 White Paper on Renewable Energy set the context for the EU policy and legislative framework that has been put in place for the renewable energy sector in recent years, and this has recently been up-dated in the 2007 energy package.

For electricity, the Directive on electricity produced from RES sets national indicative targets and addresses the need to overcome market barriers. In its recent communications the Commission has emphasised the need to take further action if these targets are to be achieved. For heating and cooling, there is not yet any EU legislation aiming specifically to maximise the up-take of RES (biomass, solar and geothermal), but the Directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings (EPBD), the Directive for the promotion of cogeneration, and the Biomass Action Plan are all helpful.

For domestic and small-scale renewable energy systems, which include both systems integrated into buildings and small stand-alone RE plants, the EPBD also plays an important role.

For biofuels, the Commission has adopted two important Directives, one to promote biofuels for transport, the other to reduce excise rates for biofuels. Future policy and regulatory frameworks for this sector are outlined in the recently revised Biomass Action Plan.

ALTENER projects may include one or more of the following Key Actions:

• Electricity from renewable energy sources (RES-e), to support EU policy by tackling barriers to market growth and helping to achieve future renewable energy targets.
• Renewable energy heating/cooling (RES-H/C), to promote greater use of biomass, solar and geothermal heating and cooling, especially in buildings and industry.
• Domestic and other small-scale RE applications, to increase use of small-scale renewable energy systems in buildings, in line with the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, and to promote use of small-scale stand-alone RE systems.
• Biofuels, to promote use of sustainable forms of biodiesel, alcohols, biogas and bioadditives to replace fossil fuels for transport applications and to contribute to achieving future EU targets.