The EU Commission published its Green Paper on a 2030 Framework for Energy and Climate Policy on March 27, 2013 referring to the need for an early agreement in view of :
– Long investment cycles meaning that infrastructure funded in the near term will still be in place in 2030 and beyond and investors therefore need certainty and reduced regulatory risk.
– Clarifying the objectives for 2030 to support progress towards a competitive economy and a secure energy system by creating more demand for efficient and low carbon technologies and spurring research, development and innovation, which can create new opportunities for jobs and growth.
– Despite negotiations for a legally binding international agreement on climate mitigation have been difficult, an international agreement is still expected by the end of 2015. The EU will have to agree on a series of issues, including its own ambition level, in advance of this date in order to engage actively with other countries.
The Green Paper states that the current policy framework of legally binding renewable energy targets has resulted in an EU RES share of 12.7%. In order for this progress to continue and to meet the targets in 2020, the Commission states that more efforts are needed. However it stops short in referring to the role of energy storage, i.e. the use of hydrogen, next to efforts “to create certainty for investors, reducing the administrative burden and increasing clarity in the planning”. Although referring to the need of “massive investments in transmission and distribution grids, including through cross-border infrastructure, to complete the internal energy market… to accommodate renewable energy” no mentioning is made on the need for investments in energy storage.