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ALTENER II
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The
new ALTENER programme (1998 - 2002) is the non-technological
EU programme aimed at promoting the use of renewable energy sources.
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ALTENER
II Home Page on Directorate General for Energy and Transport (DG TREN)
website
Background
The development of renewable energy - particularly energy from wind, water,
solar power and biomass - is a central aim of the European Commission's
energy policy. There are several reasons for this:
Renewable energy has an important role to play in reducing Carbon Dioxide
(CO2) emissions - a major Community objective.
Increasing the share of renewable energy in the energy balance enhances
sustainability. It also helps to improve the security of energy supply by
reducing the Community's growing dependence on imported energy sources.
Renewable energy sources are expected to be economically competitive with
conventional energy sources in the medium to long term.
Renewable energy is, by definition, local energy. Its development can create
new business, bring employment and encourage economic and social cohesion
in regions that otherwise lack industrial development.
There is a considerable export potential for renewable energy technologies,
particularly in the developing world.
ALTENER, the only Community programme to focus exclusively on the promotion
of renewable energy sources, ended its five-year term at the end of 1997.
It has now been succeeded by ALTENER II, an initiative that will extend
activities in the renewable energies field and make a major contribution
to the Community Strategy and Action Plan outlined in the White Paper 'Energy
for the Future: Renewable Sources of Energy'.
The need for Community support for renewable energy is clear. While several
of the technologies, notably wind energy, small-scale hydro power and energy
from biomass, are economically viable and competitive, and others are approaching
viability, initial investment costs are high and investors often lack confidence
in technologies that are relatively unknown. As a result, development has
been limited, and the sector needs help if it is to 'take off' in marketing
terms.
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Comparing ALTENER and ALTENER II
The main operational similarities and differences between ALTENER II and
ALTENER can be summarised as follows:
Similarities:
•Studies, technical assessments, the formulation of norms and standards,
and pilot studies designed to set up or reinforce appropriate infrastructures
for renewable energy development are common to both programmes.
Differences:
•ALTENER II provides increased support for information dissemination activities
proposed by the Commission.
•ALTENER II provides support for information dissemination activities proposed
by third parties.
•ALTENER II provides support for targeted actions designed to speed up investment
in renewable energy technologies.
•ALTENER II will make an EU-wide assessment of progress in the adoption
of renewable energy technologies.
•ALTENER II will work closely with the Associated Countries of Central and
Eastern Europe, under overall conditions for their pre-accession participation
in EU programmes. These conditions vary according to the country concerned
and figure in the respective Association Agreements between themselves and
the EU. Extension to Cyprus is also provided for, and of course, as for
most EU programmes, the European Economic Area countries already take part.
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Programme Objectives
ALTENER II, which is managed by DG XVII, the European Commission's Directorate-General
for Energy, will run for five years, from January 1998 until December 2002.
Its main role will be to help create an appropriate environment for the
Community Strategy and Action Plan for renewable energy sources. The programme
will also encourage both private and public investment in the production
and use of renewable energy.
ALTENER II's specific objectives can be summarised as follows:
- To implement and complement Community measures designed to develop
the renewable energy resource potential.
- To encourage the harmonisation of products and equipment in the renewable
energy market.
- To support the development of an infrastructure that will increase
investor confidence, stimulate the take-up of renewable energy technologies
and improve the sector's competitiveness.
- To improve information dissemination and co-ordination at the international,
Community, national, regional and local level, thereby increasing investor
confidence and market penetration.
- To increase operational capacity for the production of energy from
renewable energy sources.
- To implement the Community's renewable energy strategy.
The programme will also establish close links with Cyprus and the countries
of Central and Eastern Europe in the renewable energy field.
ALTENER II will work closely with other Community actions and programmes
that incorporate the promotion of renewable energy. These include:
JOULE-THERMIE - (1995-98) a non-nuclear research, development and demonstration
(RD&D) programme designed to encourage the development of new, economically
viable and environmentally safe energy options, and to stimulate their
adoption by the market by disseminating relevant information. Under
the Fifth Framework Programme (1999-2002), it is succeeded by the various
non-nuclear energy components, which include 60% of the total demonstration
budget allocated to Renewables, amounting provisionally to about 95
mio € for each year, collectively referred to as ‘ENERGIE’.
Community Strategy and Action Plan - an initiative designed to stimulate
the widespread adoption of renewable energy technologies throughout
the Community. Its Campaign for Take-off has four main objectives: one
million photovoltaic systems; a large wind farm generating capability
of 10,000MW; 10,000MWth (thermal) of biomass installations; and the
integration of renewable energy sources to meet total electricity requirements
in each of 100 communities.
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ALTENER II Activities
The Extension of Existing Actions
ALTENER II will build on the success of ALTENER, carefully targeting
its activities to increase their impact. This will involve:
Putting in place a structure for development - finalising the technical
norms and standards that are already in preparation; developing and
updating market strategies; completing and/or updating sectoral strategies;
and proposing any necessary legislation.
Encouraging pilot actions that will reduce the costs of renewable energy
development. These will focus on the development of effective tools
for planning, design, testing, monitoring and evaluation, and on the
creation of new financial arrangements such as green pools, green pricing
and the grouping of users or producers.
Enhanced information dissemination with particular emphasis on:
•education and training, including vocational training courses and company-based
training initiatives
•the use of permanent and temporary networks to disseminate information,
for example:
•networks of regions, islands and cities that are aiming to obtain 100%
of their energy from renewable sources by 2010
•networks of universities and schools pioneering renewable energies
•technology research and development networks
•the establishment of a centralised system (AGORES) for collecting and
circulating information on renewable energy; this will cover regulation,
calls for proposals, Community and Member State programmes, state-of-the-art
technical data, training, financing mechanisms, assistance etc, and
will be available via the World Wide Web.
New Actions
The existence of certain non-technical barriers to development means
that many renewable energy projects are abandoned at an early stage.
Potential investors and promoters may, for instance, be unaware of the
business opportunities and economic benefits associated with renewable
energy. They may also lack the skills that would allow them to undertake
the assessments and studies required, negotiate appropriate agreements
and acquire the necessary finance. ALTENER II is seeking to eliminate
these barriers by supporting the preparatory phases of project activity
rather than project construction or the procurement of equipment.
ALTENER II will also be an important tool both in implementing the Community
Strategy and Action Plan outlined in the White Paper, and in monitoring
and evaluating its progress.
Projects
ALTENER II will provide assistance for projects that will enable it
to meet its objectives.
Particular encouragement will be given to multi-regional or multinational
projects. Such projects stimulate the transfer of experience and know-how.
They also allow promoters to obtain better terms from their suppliers
and to take advantage of more efficient financing arrangements such
as Third Party Financing.
ALTENER II is focusing on renewable energy sources that are already
viable or approaching viability:
Biomass - energy crops, residues from forestry and agriculture, and
municipal waste which can be used to produce solid, liquid or gaseous
biofuels.
Solar energy - energy derived from the sun's light and heat and captured
by the form and fabric of a building, by solar collectors or by photovoltaic
cells for conversion into electricity.
Small-scale hydroelectricity - energy derived from falling water using
units with a generating capacity of up to 10 MW.
Wind power - harnessed for electricity generation using modern wind
turbines. Turbines can be deployed singly, in small clusters or in larger
groups (wind farms).
Geothermal energy - tapping the heat in the earth's crust via boreholes,
and bringing it to the surface as hot water.
Promoting ALTENER II
Disseminating information on renewable energy sources and technologies
is a major action in ALTENER II.
The AGORES virtual information centre on the World Wide Web, currently
under development, is an important component of this activity. It will
be constantly expanded and improved, backed up by carefully selected
and targeted events, by industry awards and other prizes, and by published
material in the form of project information sheets, articles and press
releases. Initial access to the site will be through the Directorate-General
for Energy's pages on the European Union inter-institutional World Wide
Web site ‘Europa’. The AGORES home pages will also provide structured
links to a growing number of relevant renewables and other environmental
and energy networks in Europe and beyond.
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