Higher solar ambition can lower bioenergy in REPowerEU

The briefing examines the REPowerEU plan's reliance on bioenergy to replace fossil gas and proposes alternatives to avoid this increase. It suggests that deploying an additional 100 GW of solar power by 2030 would allow the EU to meet its 45% renewable energy target while keeping bioenergy levels consistent with the Fit for 55 package. The document further asserts that bioenergy use could be reduced below current levels through faster heat electrification and higher energy efficiency targets, such as the European Parliament's proposal for a 14.5% efficiency target.

• The REPowerEU plan intends to replace 1 billion cubic metres (bcm) of fossil gas in the power sector with biomass and 17 bcm of fossil gas in households, industry, and agriculture with 'sustainable biomethane', totaling 15 million tonnes of oil equivalent (Mtoe) of bioenergy above the Fit for 55 proposal's impact assessment.
• To achieve the 45% renewable energy share by 2030 without the planned increase in bioenergy, the EU would need to deploy approximately 100 GW of additional solar power, representing a 17% increase over the current REPowerEU proposal.
• The proposed 100 GW increase in solar capacity is considered credible because Solar Power Europe indicates the industry could potentially deploy up to 840 GW by 2030, which is 248 GW (42%) higher than the REPowerEU target, provided national policy bottlenecks and permitting are addressed.
• Bioenergy consumption could be reduced below current levels if the EU adopts higher energy efficiency targets; specifically, the European Parliament's proposal to increase the 2030 energy efficiency target to 14.5% (compared to 13% in REPowerEU) would result in a 14% reduction in gross bioenergy consumption by 2030.

APA

Ember (2022). Higher solar ambition can lower bioenergy in REPowerEU. https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/higher-solar-ambition-can-lower-bioenergy-in-repowereu

Chicago

Ember. Higher solar ambition can lower bioenergy in REPowerEU. 2022. https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/higher-solar-ambition-can-lower-bioenergy-in-repowereu.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Ember |title=Higher solar ambition can lower bioenergy in REPowerEU |date=28 November 2022 |url=https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/higher-solar-ambition-can-lower-bioenergy-in-repowereu |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ember2022higher, author = {{Ember}}, title = {{Higher solar ambition can lower bioenergy in REPowerEU}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2022}, month = nov, url = {https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/higher-solar-ambition-can-lower-bioenergy-in-repowereu}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }