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Since launching its European program in mid-2009, RAP has worked with the European Commission and Member States on policy projects to advance energy efficiency, renewable power and other low-carbon resources, while assuring power system reliability and improving regional energy security.
RAP's current work in the EU includes: |
- The "Roadmap 2050" Project: This ambitious study, commissioned by the European Climate Foundation, will rigorously examine the feasibility of achieving 80% greenhouse gas emission reductions in Europe by 2050. To achieve this goal the power sector must be almost fully decarbonized, which will require the integration of very high percentages of renewable power (60% to 80% or more). RAP is a member of the policy team for this project, analyzing the near- to mid-term public policies needed to move the EU to this low-carbon transition. The policy team is exploring ways to finance much deeper energy efficiency programs and to build new transmission links and distributed “smart grid” applications. It is looking at regulations and market rules for demand response, electric vehicles, and generation capacity, among other elements needed to help the European Commission move towards it goal of decarbonizing by 2050. RAP's
policy paper on generation capacity market design has been incorporated into the
Roadmap 2050 report.
- EU Goals and Standards for Energy Efficiency: Together with the European Climate Foundation, RAP has commissioned and supervised publication of a major research paper on the feasibility of enacting binding energy efficiency targets for the EU and Member States, along the same lines as the Commission’s binding targets for renewable power and carbon reduction. That study, prepared jointly by the highly respected firms Ecofys and Fraunhofer ISI, will be presented to the European Commission’s DG Energy and to Member States and stakeholders throughout the region in 2010. RAP's Richard Cowart
made this recent presentation at the DG's Climate Action workshop in Brussels, analyzing complimentary policies to the EU Emission Trading Scheme (ETS). He made a similar presentation to NGOs and to key members of the ETS unit, showing that the price set by the ETS is not enough to drive the necessary investments to arrive at the renewables and emission reductions goals of 2020 and 2050.
- Ongoing Support to European Energy Regulators: RAP has recently been appointed as an advisor to the International Confederation of Energy Regulators' (ICER) Climate Change Committee, and will be working with that committee on energy efficiency, renewable power, power market, and other regulatory issues. RAP has recently held workshops and made presentations thoughout the EU, including those at the
World Forum on Energy Regulation in Athens and the
US-EU conference on climate policy in Prague.
- Support to European Institutions: In recent months, RAP has accepted appointments to the European Commission’s Bucharest Forum, which advises the Commission on clean energy policies, and to the Executive Committee of the International Energy Agency’s Executive Committee on Demand-Side Management. At the IEA, RAP is currently a partner in preparation of a global study on best practices in the delivery of end-use energy efficiency.
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- Clean First: RAP's overview of a “Clean First” approach to power sector regulation, with a case study in Forward Capacity Markets, was recently presented by Meg Gottstein to several different audiences in the UK, including government officials, academics and industry groups attending the Warwick Business School’s May 27, 2010 seminar, “Energy Regulation: Current Trends, International Perspectives and Future Challenges.”
The presentation, which can be viewed here, was also made to a group of non-profit agencies working on climate and energy policies with particular interest in market reform proposals and to the Market Assessment staff and management team within the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change.
- Whole Buildings Energy Efficiency: RAP is working closely with the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) to develop a nationwide heat and energy savings strategy, advising on all aspects of program design to deliver retrofits to at least seven million homes in the UK by 2020. RAP is assisting with delivery options, supply chain, and financing issues, while working to identify international best practices for energy efficiency. RAP recently published this policy paper for the DECC, comparing public energy efficiency programs for existing homes in 11 countries.
- Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and Emissions Performance Standards (EPS): Working with the industry’s Carbon Capture and Storage Association, and a coalition of environmental and other stakeholders, RAP helped plan and deliver a broad-based collaborative on CCS policies. This process informed and facilitated the UK government's decision in late 2009 to halt new approvals for unabated coal plants and instead support investments in CCS commercialization. RAP is also working to bring EPS policy and design options to a wide range of stakeholders and officials in the UK and throughout the EU. For this purpose, RAP has prepared this summary of EPS statutes and related carbon emissions performance rules that have been adopted to date (in selected US states).
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- Energy Efficiency: RAP is advising Poland's newly formed Public Council on the Program for the Reduction of Emissions to develop and implement countrywide energy efficiency programs. See Richard Cowart's and Eoin Lees's recent presentations to the International Energy Efficiency Forum in Warsaw.
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See more of RAP's work in the EU
here.
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