- The European Parliament gave its final approval on Tuesday, 12 September, to legally binding targets to expand renewable energy faster this decade
- Europe plans to curb climate change and shift away from fossil fuels.
The new EU law significantly increases renewable energy targets, mandating that 42.5% of the EU’s energy must come from renewable sources by 2030. Currently, renewables make up 22.1% of the EU’s energy mix, so the goal is to double this share by 2030. The addition of more wind and solar capacity is necessary.
The updated directive also introduces renewable energy goals for buildings and aims to expedite the permitting processes for wind and solar projects. Therefore, this directive creates specific acceleration areas for renewable energy projects. National authorities will have a maximum of 12 months to approve or reject new solar and wind farms in these acceleration areas. For projects located elsewhere, the approval process should not exceed 24 months.
In the transport sector, the deployment of renewables is expected to lead to a 14.5% reduction in emissions by 2030. This will be achieved by using a higher proportion of advanced biofuels and setting more ambitious targets for renewable fuels not derived from biological sources, such as hydrogen. Additionally, the directive introduces the concept of ‘Positive silence,’ meaning that investments in renewables will be considered approved if there is no administrative feedback.
Markus Pieper, a German lawmaker who played a key role in the proposal, noted that this directive demonstrates that Brussels can be efficient and practical. It places renewables as a top public interest, simplifying their approval process, and includes various forms of renewable energy.