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| Renewable Energy Directive 2009/28/EC | |
|---|---|
| Title | Renewable Energy Directive 2009/28/EC |
| Type | Directive |
| Adopted | 2009 |
| Jurisdiction | European Union |
| Repealed by | Directive (EU) 2018/2001 |
| Related | Kyoto Protocol, Energy Community, European Green Deal |
Renewable Energy Directive 2009/28/EC
The Renewable Energy Directive 2009/28/EC was a legislative act of the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union establishing a framework to promote energy from renewable sources across the European Union and its Member States. It linked targets, planning instruments, sustainability criteria and cooperation mechanisms to EU climate commitments under the Kyoto Protocol and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change while interacting with regional bodies such as the Energy Community and international agreements like the Paris Agreement.
The Directive emerged from negotiations involving the European Commission, the Council of the European Union, and the European Parliament against a backdrop of rising awareness from events including the Stern Review and policy milestones such as the Third Energy Package and the 20-20-20 climate and energy package. Influences included commitments made by Germany, France, United Kingdom, Spain, and Italy on renewable deployment, together with inputs from agencies like the European Environment Agency and institutions such as the International Energy Agency. The Directive took into account prior EU instruments like the Renewable Energy Action Plan and intersected with funding programs managed by the European Investment Bank and the European Commission's Directorate-General for Energy.
The Directive set binding targets and a common framework for promoting wind power, solar power, bioenergy, hydropower and other renewable technologies across Member States such as Sweden, Poland, Netherlands, Greece and Portugal. It established a collective 20% share for renewable energy in final energy consumption for the European Union by 2020 and mandated a 10% minimum share for renewable energy in transport fuels, impacting sectors represented by stakeholders including TotalEnergies, Shell plc, Volkswagen, Airbus, and national regulators like Ofgem and Bundesnetzagentur. The scope covered electricity, heating and cooling, and transport, referencing standards and institutions like ISO and CEN for technical harmonization.
Member States were required to prepare National Renewable Energy Action Plans (NREAPs) outlining trajectories, measures and policies; examples include NREAPs filed by Germany, France, Spain, Poland and Italy. Plans specified sectoral contributions, technology deployment pathways such as offshore wind farm development in North Sea waters and solar deployment in Mediterranean Sea regions, and investment needs engaging actors like the European Investment Bank, EIB, and national development banks including KfW and Caisse des Dépôts. NREAPs facilitated coordination with regional initiatives like the Baltic Energy Market Interconnection Plan and cross-border transmission projects overseen by organizations such as ENTSO-E and ACER.
The Directive permitted national support schemes including feed-in tariff, feed-in premium, tendering and quota systems used by countries such as Denmark, Spain, United Kingdom, Germany, and Netherlands. It introduced sustainability criteria for biofuels and bioliquids to address indirect land-use change concerns raised by bodies like Food and Agriculture Organization and World Wildlife Fund. The criteria referenced greenhouse gas savings thresholds and land-use safeguards impacting commodity supply chains tied to producers in Brazil, Argentina, Indonesia, United States, and Canada, and intersected with trade rules under the World Trade Organization.
To increase flexibility, the Directive established cooperation mechanisms: statistical transfers, joint projects, and joint support schemes enabling collaboration among Member States such as Belgium, Austria, Finland, and Luxembourg. These mechanisms allowed financial or statistical crediting comparable to bilateral arrangements seen in international climate instruments like Joint Implementation and Clean Development Mechanism, and required coordination with transmission operators such as TenneT and regulators including Ofgem.
Monitoring and reporting obligations were assigned to Member States and the European Commission, involving biennial and periodic reporting cycles, progress reports, and verification procedures similar to practices of agencies like the European Environment Agency and Eurostat. Compliance mechanisms included corrective measures and potential infringement procedures managed by the European Commission and adjudicated by the European Court of Justice when Member States failed to meet obligations.
The Directive was amended and ultimately recast by Directive (EU) 2018/2001 as part of the Clean Energy for all Europeans package, aligning post-2020 policy with the European Green Deal, the European Climate Law, and the 2030 climate and energy framework. Its legacy influenced national policies in Sweden, Germany, Spain, Poland, and France, shaped markets for companies such as Siemens Gamesa, Ørsted, Iberdrola, Vestas, and informed subsequent regulations administered by the European Commission and funded through instruments like the Horizon 2020 and InvestEU programs. The Directive's sustainability provisions and cooperation mechanisms continued to inform debates in international fora including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and regional entities such as the Energy Community.