The European Investment Bank (EIB) is launching a public consultation as part of the review of its energy sector lending policy. The review process is expected to be finalised in summer 2013. The EIB’s energy sector lending policy is based on relevant EU sector policies. These policies are translated into lending objectives and project screening … Continue reading Public consultation on EIB’s energy lending policy underway
Category: European energy policies
EU revisiting biofuels
Reuters news agency provides a good description of the changes underway to renewable energy policy which has given a high priority to the deployment of biofuels. The new proposals have been watered down in a way that have not pleased many stakeholders. Biofuels: EU weakens proposals to reduce indirect climate impact Fuel suppliers will … Continue reading EU revisiting biofuels
Retrofitting Spain’s hotels
EurActiv recently published a report on how Spain’s hotels are getting support from an EU-funded project to help them improve the energy performance of their buildings. Spanish hotels to get energy-efficiency revamp Spanish hoteliers can now give their buildings an energy-efficient revamp with the help of an online tool calculating their needs, costs and investment … Continue reading Retrofitting Spain’s hotels
New study on the use of financial instruments to retrofit buildings in Europe
The Buildings Performance Institute Europe has come out with a new report reviewing the use of financial instruments in the European Union. The paper presents an overview of the various financial schemes in place dedicated to the energy efficient renovation of buildings in 2011. It makes a quantitative analysis of the different financing mechanisms and … Continue reading New study on the use of financial instruments to retrofit buildings in Europe
Gearing up for the autumn
As our summer holidays come to an end and we are starting to focus on sustainable energy issues, some useful sites and news may provide some inspiration. EiD has been attracted to a site created by the Joint Research Centre’s Institute for the Environment and Sustainability on Life Cycle Analysis. It is intriguingly called Life … Continue reading Gearing up for the autumn
Don’t count your chickens . . .
Many member states have been planning to use revenue from the planned auction of allowances under the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS). The UK journal, Energy in Buildings and Industry, reports that introducing a floor price for the scheme risks being seen as a carbon tax. This was the view of the Director General of … Continue reading Don’t count your chickens . . .
Something to ponder over the summer
In April, the Commission published its evaluation of the Ecodesign directive and (2009/125/EC) and the results were discussed at a Consultation Forum meeting of April 19, 2012. One of the conclusions of the report was: Ex-ante impact assessments estimated that the first 12 Ecodesign Regulations will allow savings of 385TWh per year by 2020, which … Continue reading Something to ponder over the summer
BMW accused of hypocrisy
This is a thought-provoking article by Adam Vaughan of the Guardian on BMW lobbying against tougher emission proposals while talking up its green credentials as official Olympics. BMW accused of hypocrisy over opposition to European car targets BMW is lobbying to water down European plans to improve the fuel efficiency of cars at the … Continue reading BMW accused of hypocrisy
Quote of the week
The European Council met in Brussels June 28th and 29th and formally approved the Energy Efficiency Directive. The Communiqué states: Following the formal adoption of the Energy Efficiency Directive, Member States must rapidly implement it, making full use of its provisions in order to exploit the significant potential for job creation in this sector. Council … Continue reading Quote of the week
EU holds out hope for UK’s green goods tax break
BusinessGreen reports (below) that the European Commission recently ordered the UK government to repeal a law that allows reduced rates of VAT on insulation materials and solar panels, on the grounds that it fails to comply with the EU's VAT Directive. In a bizarre move, the European Commission suggests a defence that the UK can … Continue reading EU holds out hope for UK’s green goods tax break
