The EU Council of Ministers has approved the amendment to the Renewable Energy Directive (RED III). The target of increasing the share of renewable energy to at least 42.5 % across the EU by 2030 is now legally binding. Previously, the RED II target was only 32.5 % and has not been renewed since 2018. With the latest decision, the provisions of the Renewable Energy Directive and the EU climate protection package "Fit for 55" and the accelerated approval procedure for wind and solar power plants under the emergency ordinances in Germany will now become standard. Solar and wind farms should therefore be approved after a maximum of one year and duplicate environmental studies or analyses will become superfluous. The harmonization and amendment of the EU-wide RED was urgently needed, as CO₂ emissions are also to be reduced by 55 % by 2030. The accelerated expansion of photovoltaic and wind power plants plays a decisive role in this. In order to achieve all targets, an annual expansion of 100 gigawatts of renewables must be achieved in the EU.
What is the "Renewable Energy Directive" (RED)?
In general, the European Union (EU) Renewable Energy Directive aims to increase the share of renewable energy in total energy consumption in the EU. It sets binding targets for the share of renewable energy in gross final energy consumption. In addition, there are specific targets for the expansion of renewable energies in the transport sector and in the area of heating and cooling. RED also contains provisions on the promotion of renewable energies, energy efficiency and the sustainability of bioenergy and stipulates that member states must draw up national action plans to achieve their targets. It also promotes the expansion of renewable energy through measures such as feed-in tariffs, quota systems, tenders and grid access regulations and is an important instrument for supporting the energy transition and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the EU. Overall, RED promotes the use of renewable energy sources such as wind power, solar energy, biomass, hydropower and geothermal energy, thereby helping to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
What else has changed with RED III?
The amendment to the Renewable Energy Directive also provides for a doubling of the share of renewable energies in total energy consumption in the building and transport sectors and lays down further binding definitions and provisions: the handling of e-fuels, the explanation of the term "green hydrogen" and, for example, the use and evaluation of wood or biomass as energy sources. The sub-objectives in the legislation for the district heating and cooling industry were also further elaborated in the trilogue procedure between the EU Commission, Parliament and the European Council and adopted with RED III. Only the questions regarding the exclusion of hydropower plants from priority areas or their sustainability character and whether e-fuels from nuclear power can be counted towards the targets in the transport sector must now be further renegotiated.