With Directive 2009/28/EC, the European Parliament and Council have laid the grounds for the policy framework for renewable energy sources (RES) in Europe until 2020. The European Union (EU) aims at a share of at least 20% RES in the European gross final energy demand by 2020 and at least 27% until 2030. European Member States (MS) have developed a variety of support instruments such as feed-in tariffs, premiums, investment incentives and quota systems (certificate trading for RES electricity-E, obligations for RES heat-H). To ensure that the RES-targets are reached, coordinated policy efforts and diffusion of best practices in RES policy design are required to support RES deployment in all MS. In this context, the optimization of the design of RES support policies, as well as the continuous evolution of cooperation mechanisms are key focus points of the policy debate.
This special issue aims at supporting the policy dialogue on the assessment and convergence of RES policies in European Member States, aligning latest practices, innovations and case studies with academic frameworks and theories. Five articles have been selected that contribute to the policy dialogue on the assessment and convergence of renewable energy policy in EU Member States.
