Promotion of renewable energy resources (ALTENER)

A Commission proposal for a Council Decision concerning the promotion of renewable energy sources in the Community (ALTENER programme), (COM(92) 180 of 20.5.1992), proposes that the Community shall support specific actions to ensure greater penetration for such renewable sourc...

A Commission proposal for a Council Decision concerning the promotion of renewable energy sources in the Community (ALTENER programme), (COM(92) 180 of 20.5.1992) proposes that the Community shall support specific actions to ensure greater penetration for such renewable sources.

It is considered that a reduction of 180 million tonnes in carbon dioxide emissions can be achieved in 2005 by achieving the three objectives: Increasing renewable energy sources contribution to total energy demand from 4% to 8%; trebling the production of electricity from renewable sources (excluding hydroelectric generation), and; securing for biofuels a market share of 5% of total motor vehicle fuel consumption. The proposal (Article 1) sets out that Member States shall endeavour to contribute in their energy and environment policies to the limitation of carbon dioxide emissions by achieving these objectives.

The Community programme is to last five years and includes four categories of actions:

(a) Studies and technical evaluations for defining technical standards or specifications;
(b) Measures to support the Member States initiatives for extending or creating infrastructures concerned with renewable energy resources (training and information actions, sectoral actions);
(c) Measures to foster creation of an information network aimed at the promotion of better coordination between national, Community and international activities;
(d) Industrial pilot actions relating to energy from biomass and in particular the production of biofuels and biogas, use of short-rotation coppices and C4 plants.

Costs related to (a) shall be borne by the Community, while funding for actions (b) and (c) shall be between 30 and 50% of total cost, though in exceptional cases it may rise to 60%. Community funding for category (d) actions shall not exceed 30% of cost.