Accelerating the sourcing renewable energy through corporate power purchase agreements is the focus of a two-day event in Amsterdam this week.
The RE-Source 2019 event taking place today and tomorrow will see thousands of corporate buyers, including from the steel, aluminium, ICT and chemicals industries, and clean energy suppliers meeting.
At the event, the Airports Council International (ACI Europe) announced a new partnership with the RE-Source Platform to accelerate the clean energy transition of the airport industry and help it achieve its 2050 net zero commitment.
In addition, the RE-Source Platform received a €500,000 grant from Google.org to fund further the development of new renewable energy purchasing models, provide training and resources for consumers and enable more widespread access to clean power.
WindEurope chief executive Giles Dickson (pictured) said: “Industry and business consume more than half of Europe’s electricity today.
“And they’re increasingly looking to power their operations with renewable electricity.
“This is good news for everyone. It saves money because renewables are the cheapest form of new power.
“It cuts CO2 emissions. And it boosts jobs and investment in renewables. But many European countries still have barriers to PPAs.
“They need to remove them to unlock the enormous potential of corporate sourcing of renewables in Europe.”
SolarPower Europe chief executive Walburga Hemetsberger said: “Corporates are ready to help deliver Europe’s 32% renewable energy target by sourcing significant amounts of solar and wind energy to power their businesses.
“This is an important step towards a sustainable future, sending a strong signal that corporations have an essential role to play in driving Europe’s clean energy transition.
“The increase of commercial and industrial on-site corporate sourcing and PPAs in Europe indicates a growing momentum for renewable energy, revealing the demand for suppliers and potential for new business opportunities.”
RE100 head Sam Kimmins said: “More than 200 leading companies have joined the RE100 initiative with a commitment to source 100% renewable electricity for their global operations – and much of that demand is in Europe.
“By bringing together the buyers and sellers, and asking governments to remove barriers to PPAs, our RE-Source Platform provides a vital service in helping companies to achieve their renewable electricity ambitions across the continent.”
European Commission European Political Strategy Centre adviser Philipp Offenberg said: “Wind and solar have been major agents of change over the past years, making the energy system in Europe cleaner.
“It is time for power purchase agreements to become a key vector to modernise our industries and help them shift towards climate neutrality.”
German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy director general Thorsten Herdan said: “Energy from renewable sources is already competitive in many parts of the world.
“The competiveness will even increase with CO2 pricing schemes. Corporate sourcing of renewable energy therefore makes ecological but also economic sense and is most welcome as an accelerator for the global energy transition.”