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Advocates for renewable energy hope to
clarify in Bonn what some argue was left too
murky at the European Conference for Renewable
Energy in Berlin. The January 19-21 meeting
ended with a unanimously accepted declaration
to proceed without delay in setting new
targets for renewable energy use in the EU by
2020. Advocates hope the Renewables 2004
Conference in Bonn this June will produce
more categorised, quantifiable targets. The Berlin conferees agreed that new targets beyond 2010 are needed to encourage investment in renewables, and that a substantial increase in the use of renewables is key to sustainable development. Berlin's conclusions will represent a major European contribution to the global summit in Bonn. The Berlin declaration urges the EU "to start a political process of setting ambitious, timebound targets" and that "at least 20 percent [by 2020] is achievable," but doesn't give further categorical details. Some renewable energy advocates debated whether the declaration set clear enough targets and commitments. The European Commission has impeded progress on renewables targets, the Environment Daily reported. Environmentalists accused energy commissioner Loyola de Palacio of "stubbornly blocking" the targets for renewables. They said her last-minute withdrawal from the Berlin event signaled she was "anti-renewables" and had an obsession with using nuclear energy. Further, the Berlin conference exposed uncertainty over which financial-support mechanism should be used to promote the renewable industry. Some insisted on the need for a feed-in tariff for the whole of Europe, a system that would provide subsidies to guarantee suppliers a set price for their energy. Others argued that a quota scheme would achieve greater cost efficiency. Information and registration for the Bonn conference is available at www.renewables2004.de. |
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