Europe Takes the Challenge – the Way Forward in Promoting Renewable Electricity

Energy policy is the main driver for the enhanced deployment of electricity from renewable energy sources (RES-E) as observed in several countries worldwide. It is the core objective of this paper to provide a comprehensive summary of recommendations on how to derive effective and cost-efficient support schemes for RES-E which are necessary to steer our energy system in the direction of sustainability and supply security. A prospective analysis of possible future RES support options – build on recently policy debates – at European level aims to signpost the way forward. Investigations on national support measures versus European-wide harmonized RES policies serve to identify recommendations of future RES policy designs. The issue of the effectiveness and efficiency of support schemes is discussed based on the results obtained from simulation runs using the Green-X model. As key criterion for achieving an enhanced future deployment of RES-E in an effective and efficient manner, besides the continuity and long-term stability of any implemented policy, the technology specification of the necessary support is identified.