Handbook encourages green power procurement in Europe

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Solar NEWS

8 reFOCUS September/October 2004 www.re-focus.net

The European Commission has

released a 'Handbook on Green

Public Procurement' that

explains how public agencies

can consider the environment

when buying goods and servic-

es. "Public authorities have

enormous purchasing power,"

says environment commissioner

Margot Wallström. "If all public

authorities in the Union

switched to green electricity, it

would save 60 million tonnes of

CO2, or 18% of the EU's Kyoto

commitment on cutting GHG

emissions by 2012." The guide

is intended for use by schools,

hospitals and municipal govern-

ments, which spend Euro 1,500

billion each year, or 16% of

the EU's GDP, on goods and

services.

The 2001 EU directive on green

power provides a definition of

renewable energy sources and of

electricity from renewables but,

because green power is physical-

ly indistinguishable from conven-

tional power, "the method of

proof is crucial in ensuring that

the public authority is getting

value (including environmental

value) for money." The directive

requires Member States to

ensure that the origin of green

power can be guaranteed,

which means Member States

"have to ensure that a guaran-

tee of origin for green electricity

is issued whenever requested."

The document was produced to

help implement the EU's new

Public Procurement Directives

that were adopted in March,

based on the estimate that only

19% of public administrations in

the EU15 undertake a "signifi-

cant amount" of green purchas-

ing. Major barriers are a lack of

knowledge on environmental cri-

teria to include in tender docu-

ments, budgetary constraints

due to higher premium, and

legal uncertainty.

In 2002, Sheffield Hallam

University in the UK decided to

cover 5% of its electricity

demand with green power and

awarded a contract to a green

power supplier, and the pur-

chase has enabled the university

to lower its carbon emissions by

2% a year. Nearly all public

buildings and street lighting in

southeast Brabant in the

Netherlands are powered by

green power and, in 2002, 21

municipalities in the Eindhoven

Co-operation Region signed a

contract to obtain green power

for 75% of their consumption,

representing 29 million kWh. By

banding together, the negotiat-

ed contract saves Euro 620,000

over previous contracts, the doc-

ument explains.

The market slump of 2002 for solar thermal sales

in Europe has ended, with growth of 25% last

year, according to the latest figures from the

European Solar Thermal Industry Federation. Sales

are expected to increase by another 24% this year,

it predicts, boosting the current installed capacity

of 12 million square metres of glazed collectors.

That level produces 5,000 GWh of renewable

energy each year.

"Largely unnoticed by the public, solar thermal

has grown to a point where it replaces significant

amounts of conventional heating fuels such as oil

and gas or electricity," says ESTIF president Ole

Pilgaard. "And the potential is much higher." In

2003, Europe installed 1.4 million m2 of solar

thermal collectors, led by Germany with 39%

growth and a 55% share of installations in the

continent. "The positive development of the

German market strongly contributed to the

growth trend all over Europe," notes the report,

with Austria boosting its installations by 9% and

6% in Greece. Collectively, the three countries

account for 80% of the EU solar thermal market.

France has shown "considerable progress" under

its 'Plan Soleil' but it is still a very small market

with only 39,000 m2 of new collectors, although

the growth rate last year was 44% and "France

has started to catch up with the frontrunners."

Spain and Italy are lagging with growth of 11%

and 6%, respectively, and "these two countries

are not living up to their high potential for solar

thermal." ESTIF expects that the solar regulations

adopted by many Spanish municipalities will soon

result in stronger growth in that country.

Of the 1,374,794 m2 of collectors installed last

year, 1,288,911 m2 were flat plate and only

85,883 m2 were evacuated tube collectors.

Compared with the rest of the world, Europe has

12% of total installations, with China at 76%,

Turkey and Israel at 6%, Japan at 2% and all

other countries accounting for 4%. Despite the

positive developments, ESTIF warns that Europe

will miss its target of installing 100 million m2 by

2010, if the EU and member States do not take

stronger measures to support the market penetra-

tion of solar thermal. "The EU target is feasible,"

says Raffaele Piria of ESTIF. "Looking at the collec-

tors in operation per capita, Greece has already

achieved it and Austria should get there by 2005,

but most other EU countries are still ways

behind."

"This unbalance shows the huge potential for solar

thermal, but it is also a big challenge for policy

makers and industry," he adds. "A strong mix of

regulatory and fiscal measures, linked with effective

promotion campaigns must be enacted throughout

the EU; only then Europe's economies will fully ben-

efit of the advantages of solar thermal."

PV sets roadmap inAustraliaAustralia needs a "vibrant national

market" for solar if it is to attract

a share of the "considerable

investment" being made around

the world in PV technology, con-

cludes an industry roadmap. That

goal can be achieved by a "long-

term policy framework that gives

industry confidence to invest,

leverages the growing public con-

cerns for the environment and

support for renewable energy, and

makes good economic sense,"

says the 'Sunrise Vision.' The strat-

egy is the result of ten months of

industry consultation by the

Australian Business Council for

Sustainable Energy and was

released by MP Warren Entsch.

"Such an approach can create a

billion dollar PV industry in

Australia with significant exports,

delivering local jobs and invest-

ment, while contributing to signif-

icant long-term reductions in

Australia's greenhouse emissions,"

it concludes. "The Australian PV

industry is at the crossroads," with

Solar thermal shows strong growth in Europe

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