RESEARCH PRIORITIES FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGY BY 2020 AND BEYOND
With the new emphasis on rapid implementation of renewable technologies to achieve the 2020 targets, the EUREC Agency decided to revisit the research priorities in terms of how research can and should contribute to the achievement of those targets.
Research priorities presented in this publication have been defined on the basis of a broad consultation involving the scientific community of renewable energy research centres represented at European level by EUREC Agency.
The document is structured according to the three sectors addressed by the recent European Directive on Renewable Energy Sources (2009/28/EC, published in the Official Journal on 5 June 2009): electricity generation, heating and cooling, and renewable energy in transport. Whilst the research itself provides the means to achieve the European ambitions in the development of renewable energy, this publication also recognises its role as an educational tool for the training of the highly skilled workforce who will design and implement the new energy systems of the future
This 4-page brochure presents in a nutshell EUREC Agency’s mission and main actions.
EUREC Agency is the only representative of research centres covering the full range of renewable energy technologies
Innovative education: Our European Master in Renewable Energy is the only international postgraduate programme in renewable energy, taught in 5 EU countries by 8 universities. Our members provide one-day professional courses on specific subjects.
Defining research priorities for renewable energy: EUREC Agency organises consultations of researchers and industry representatives to define common positions between all actors in the sector. We collect input for the EU decision-taking process on renewable energy research priorities and the sector’s infrastructure requirements.
Promoting technology transfer: To improve the market commercial uptake of scientific research results, EUREC has established an innovative platform for technology transfer. A network of entrepreneurs, technology transfer professionals, financiers and scientists "pull" and "push" the end-products of publicly funded research from the laboratory to the market.
Research Priorities for the Renewable Energy Sector
Cited from the introduction of the booklet:
FP7 Research Priorities for the Renewable Energy Sector (March 1st, 2005). After increasing its turnover tenfold from 1.5 billion EUR in 1990 to 15 billion EUR in 2004, the European renewable energy[1] sector has only just begun to reveal its enormous potential for growth. As its contribution to Europe’s economy grows, so will its workforce, with 1 million expected to work in the sector by 2010. Technology-focused small- and medium-sized companies with an ability to assimilate and commercialise new scientific knowledge are the driving force behind the renewable energy industry’s expansion.
Renewable energy research – an investment for a sustainable energy future. Europeans are clearly in favour of clean and sustainable energy production from renewables. Asked in a 2002 survey ”In which of the following areas would you like to see more energy-related research in the European Union”, they voted for renewables-related research far ahead of fossil and nuclear energy research[2]. There are many reasons for this positive public image, not least the sector’s contribution towards fighting climate change by generating energy cleanly without causing net carbon dioxide emissions. At the same time, renewable energy can reduce our dependence on imported energy.
The renewable energy sector can make a substantial contribution towards a number of major EU policies:
the ‘Lisbon’ and ‘Barcelona’ objectives, which describe a dynamic ‘knowledge’ economy based around research, development and innovation with a specific focus on the competitive key sector of environmental technology
a weaker reliance on energy imports
the development and use of renewable energy resources as laid down in the EC’s renewable energy directives and 1997 White Paper
the fulfilling of international obligations such as the Kyoto Protocol
The quantifiable environmental, economic and social benefits of the renewable sector are closely aligned with these key European objectives.
Given the high importance of these objectives, and the EU’s aspirations for the renewable energy sector, the decline in public financial support for renewable energy research at EU and Member State level is a worrying trend that must be reversed. In recent years, EU funding has dropped from 400-450 million EUR in FP4 and FP5 to approximately 380-410 million EUR in FP6. Direct funding by the Member States of EU-15 slumped from 300 million EUR to 250 million EUR between the start and end of the 1990s, but has since shown evidence of rallying slightly. As an emerging industry, the renewable energy sector needs a supportive political and legal framework to reach its full potential, which includes strong public investment in research and development and better incentives for private-sector research spending.
The content of the following chapters is a first for the European renewable energy sector, for they describe the outcome of a joint discussion, in some cases conducted over as much as three years, between representatives from research and industry. The result is a collection of research priorities for each technology that could serve as useful input to the future FP7 work programme. The overall message is clear: there is much to do in each area, whether it is in bioenergy, solar thermal, photovoltaics, hydropower, wind energy, geothermal or any of the other areas we cover, such as the integration of the different technologies into our energy supply systems or “solar buildings”, a topic that also includes aspects of energy efficiency.
Our discussions have led us to conclude that, as regards the Seventh Framework Programme, we need:
An average annual research budget for renewable energy of 250 million EUR
A budget within FP7 exclusively for renewable energy technologies
Also
Better tools and mechanisms to increase the take-up of research results by industry
Changes to the implementation of the Framework Programme that encourage greater SME participation
To download the publication, please click here. We would be happy to send you a paper copy on request.
Publications with EREC
Renewable Energy Technology Roadmap 20% by 2020
At the Opening of the French EU Presidency Renewable Energy Policy Forum in November 2008, EREC, the European Renewable Energy Council, launched its new roadmap showing the way the Renewable Energy Industry foresees to reach the 20 % renewable energy consumption target by 2020. The estimates given by the Renewable Energy Industry are based on a feasible annual growth scenario for the different technologies. Some renewable energy sectors have developed much more ambitious projections showing that the European renewable energy industry could deliver much more than 20 %.
EREC and its Members - including EUREC Agency - assume that a 20% share of Renewable Energy in final energy consumption by 2020 is a realistic target for the EU under the condition that certain policy developments will occur and a continuation of the existing policy instruments are ensured. However, this will require that all EU Member States develop their RES potential & invest in these promising technologies for the future.
EREC, the European Renewable Energy Council, is the umbrella organisation of the major European renewable energy industry, trade and research associations active in the field of photovoltaics, small hydropower, solar thermal, bioenergy, ocean & marine, geothermal, wind energy and biofuels. It represents an industry with an annual turnover of 40 billion € and more than 400.000 employees.
The EREC Technology Roadmap 20 % by 2020 is available in English & French at www.erec.org.
Renewable Energy in Europe - Building Capacity and market
Prepared by EUREC Agency together with the other renewable energy industry associations within the European Renewable Energy Council (EREC), this work examines the current status, potential and trends associated with renewable energy technologies, covering biomass, geothermal energy, solar thermal, solar photovoltaic, small hydro and wind. Individual chapters are dedicated to each technology, with subsections that focus on the technology itself, costs, industry characteristics and market development. The final chapter focuses on the integration of renewable energy sources, describing the challenges, benefits and opportunities presented by a large deployment of renewable energy.. Leave more empty space before the next group of paragraphs.
May 2004 • 202 pages • 234 x 156mm • ISBN 9781844071241
To order this book please contact the publisher Earthscan Ltd at: Dunstan House 14a St. Cross Street London EC1N 8XA UK Tel: +44 (0) 20 7841 1930 Fax: +44 (0) 20 7242 1474 Website: www.earthscan.co.uk Email:
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