The EU needs to take more action to boost wind and solar power generation to meet renewables targets, according to a new report by the European Court of Auditors.
The report said that, although both wind and solar power have recorded strong growth since 2005, there has been a slowdown since 2014.
The European Commission should urge member states to support further deployment by organising auctions to allocate additional renewables capacity, promoting citizen participation and improving conditions for deployment, the auditors said.
They also warned that half of the member states will face a significant challenges in trying to meet 2020 renewables targets.
The EU aims to generate a fifth of its energy from renewables for electricity, heating and cooling and transport use by the end of 2020.
The auditors expressed concern as to whether the efforts of the high-achieving countries in renewables will be enough to compensate for the under- achievers in order to meet the overall EU target.
European Court of Auditors member responsible for the report George Pufan said: “Member states incentivised investment in wind and solar power, but the way they reduced support deterred potential investors and slowed deployment.
“The slowdown in shifting towards renewable electricity implies that we might not meet the EU 2020 target.”
Organising auctions to allocate additional renewables capacity, to determine the bidding price and promote citizens’ participation in the green economy, is crucial for increasing investment, the report said.
Additional improvements are required to improve conditions for participation in the renewables market, including overcoming restrictive spatial planning rules, lengthy administrative procedures and grid insufficiencies, it added.
Current rules do not ensure timely reporting on progress on renewables, and the commission does not have a mandate to address slower deployment by the member states, the auditors said.
The 2030 renewables goal of at least 32% could be difficult to achieve without binding national targets, it added.
The 2030 target will also require a significant amount of public and private national funding.
Recommendations in the report include: focussing on closing gaps to meet the 2020 targets; simplifying procedures and improve timeliness of statistics; planning sufficient auctions and promote investment in grid infrastructure; and ensuring better monitoring.