Renewable Energy Policies Post - COP21

Background

Implementing the ambitious Paris climate agreement will require a significant scaling-up of renewables deployment – notably in electricity and heat. This comes at a time when oil, coal and gas prices have reached new lows and there are lingering concerns in some countries about the costs of renewable support policies.

To discuss these challenges, the IEA Working Party on Renewable Energy Technologies (REWP), with the active participation of its Renewable Industry Advisory Board members, hosted a workshop bringing together more than 150 governments officials, industry representatives and other energy experts.

The workshop was opened by IEA Deputy Executive Director Paul Simons and addressed by Executive Director Fatih Birol. He told the participants that the COP21 accord is just the first step towards a new energy sector. The momentum created by Paris is now facing headwinds in the form of low fossil fuel prices.

The workshop featured a number of high-level speakers, notably Jos Delbeke, Director-General for Climate Action at the European Commission, as well as Marie Donnelly, the EC’s Director for Renewables and Energy Efficiency and Francesco Venturini, CEO of Enel Green Power. During three lively sessions, delegates discussed policies for promoting renewable heat, the experience with auctions for large-scale renewable power projects, and the role of carbon pricing and carbon markets. The findings of the workshop will feed into the IEA’s forthcoming activities, including the World Energy Outlook 2016 which will have a special focus on renewable energy.

Agenda
Participants List ‌

Session 1 - Renewable Heat Policy

Moderator: Brian Motherway, IEA - Head of Energy Efficiency Division

Speakers

Marie Donnelly, European Commission - Director Renewables, Research and Innovation, energy Efficiency - The Energy Union‌
Christian Ziemann, Viessmann Industrie - Regional Sales Manager - Industry-Opportunities for the use of Renewable Hear in Industry & Policy Support needed‌

Panelists

Monica Frassoni, European Alliance to Save Energy - President
Rémi Chabrillat, French Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME) - Director Sustainable Production and Energies
Werner Weiss, AEE - Institute for Sustainable Technologies - Managing Director
 

Session 2 - Large-scale Renewable Power Projects: the Experience with Auctions

Moderator: Paolo Frankl, IEA - Head of Renewable Energy Division

Speakers

Henning Wuester, IRENA - Renewable Energy Auctions: An Overview of Design Options‌‌
Francesco Venturini, ENEL Green Power - ‌EGP experience with auctions‌

Panelists

Oliver Schäfer, Solar Power Europe - President
Claude Turmes, European Parliament - MEP, Vice President of the Green Group
Paddy Padmanatha, ACWA Power - President and Chief Executive Officer

Session 3 - Scaling up Renewables post-COP21 - Integration with Climate Change Policy

Moderator: Cédric Philibert, IEA - Renewable Energy Division
Speakers

Jos Delbeke, European Commission - EU ETS Reform and Renewable Energy‌
Robert Gross, Imperial College - On picking winners- why renewable energy needs targeted support‌

Panelists

Richard Baron, OCED - Principal Advisor Rountable for Sustainable Development
Steve Sawyer, Global Wind Energy Council - Secretary General
ZhongXiang Zhang, Tianjin University China, - Professor, College of Management and Economics