Today's Energy Union package by the European Commission (EC) lacks the ambition required to properly phase-out coal and nuclear in Europe's energy mix, says European solar body SolarPower Europe. The Energy Union package is the latest official effort from Brussels to push the continent towards the climate change goals agreed to at last year's COP21 UN summit in Paris. And despite EU climate and energy commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete outlining plans to eliminate public subsidies for power generation by coal, gas and peat, SolarPower Europe president Oliver Schäfer said that the EC has again showed a lack of conviction in its actions. "The market design measures proposed by the Commission are going in the right direction, but are not brave enough to phase out coal and nuclear," said Schäfer. "The energy transition is slowed down when these harmful energy sources continue to exist in our electricity system." Man with a planThe EC's 1,000-page plan seeks to strengthen binding EU targets on energy efficiency and renewable uptake. The package outlines plans to remove subsidies for fossil fuel in power generation over a five-year transition period, with a view to lowering CO2 emissions by 40% by 2030. For renewables, the EU-wide target has been increased only slightly to 27% by 2030. Campaigners argue that these regulations are undermined by weak rules on implementation, and are concerned that solar and wind energy producers are to have their right to priority ...Den vollständigen Artikel lesen ...