Policy dialogue on the assessment and convergence of RES policy in EU Member States (DIA-CORE)

With Directive 2009/28/EC the European Parliament and Council have laid the grounds for the policy framework for renewable energy sources (RES) until 2020. The aim of this project is to ensure a continuous assessment of the existing policy mechanisms and to establish an active stakeholder dialogue on future policy needs for renewable electricity (RES-E), heating & cooling (RES-H), and transport (RES-T). Thus, DIA-CORE shall facilitate convergence in RES support across the EU and enhance investments, cooperation and coordination. Related assessments build on detailed quantitative policy performance evaluations related to effectiveness, efficiency and resulting total costs and benefits. This project shall complement the Commission’s monitoring activities of Member States (MSs) success in meeting 2020 RES targets.

To facilitate decision-making DIA-CORE offers detailed cross-country policy evaluations, presented in an interactive web-based RES policy assessment database. Indicators on effectiveness and cost effectiveness of existing policies for RES in all sectors will be extended and updated, complemented by an analysis of costs and benefits of RES on MS level. Future consequences of policy choices will be analyzed in detail using the Green-X model, highlighting possible additional policy needs for 2020 target achievement and contributing to upcoming 2030-related discussions.

The limited use of cooperation mechanisms at present and the benefits resulting from a more intensified use will be a further subject of analysis, whereby detailed guidelines for practical implementation of the individual mechanisms shall help to encourage their future use. In general, the optimization of the design of the individual RES policies, namely feed-in tariffs, premiums, investment incentives and quota systems (certificate trading for RES-E, obligations for RES-H) as well as cooperation mechanisms, in line with future policy needs is a key focus of the project. Thus, innovative concepts and design elements will be developed as well as accompanying measures aiming to remove non-economic barriers and to improve the conditions for financing RES investments. Furthermore options for coordination of national RES strategies and instruments based on best practices will be in the focus of this action.

Total cost of project: 1 774 950 EUR (LEI part: 52 194 EUR)

The project coordinator: the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI, Germany

Project partners:

• Vienna University of Technology, Austria
• Energy Economy Group, Austria
• Ecofys, Netherlands
• Eclareon, Germany
• National Technical University of Athens, Greece
• Lithuanian Energy Institute, Lithuania
• CEPS, Belgium
• DIW Berlin, Germany
• Utrecht University, Netherlands
• AXPO, Austria