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Towards clean, renewable and efficient energy use

Introduction:

ENERGY

Providing necessary energy for humanity allows for civilizational, economic and industrial progress but at the same time causes carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in case fossil energy sources are used. Globally, fossil sources account for the biggest share of all CO2 emissions (and consequently of all greenhouse gases) and therefore non-fossil, renewable energy supply strategies are of highest importance to keep our world a liveable planet, as all assessment reports issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, the globally most respected scientific source) confirm.

Renewable and clean energy plays a prominent role in the Sustainable Development Goals in particular with SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy) and is closely linked to several other Goals.

The past decades brought cost decrease for the most practically suitable renewable energy sources solar, wind, geothermal and waterpower, which at the same time have still a high potential. Transition of our private, national and international energy supply systems is therefore already under way in some countries – but must certainly be accelerated in order to reach the scientifically necessary and politically agreed climate target of a maximum +1.5°C increase, of which one degree has already been occurred until today.

Besides technological progress, however, considerable progress on the level of economic efficacy and changes in lifestyle is unavoidable to reach our climate targets – this is confirmed by leading researchers and policy makers.

Within the UNDA project a webinar was dedicated to Energy Policies and was jointly organised by UNECE and UNEP in 2021 supporting the target group of national administrations and statisticians in generating data underpinning national policy making.

Energy Data Management

Introduction

Monitoring of energy consumption occurs mainly via statistics for energy sales (and other stages of the so-called chain of energy demand and supply) which are collected on a national level and the reported to international organisations, while data quality monitoring of variable degrees of severity is in place. The key steps along this chain are: (1) generation of primary energy (e.g., coal, crude oil, natural gas …); (2) central conversion into secondary energy (e.g., in refineries to oil products such as diesel, fuel oil, or jet fuel) or in power plants to electricity or in heat plants to heat …); (3) transport to the decentralised places of consumption (e.g., by high or low voltage lines to industry and households or by district heating networks; (4) final energy use at the geographic place of the consumer (e.g., fuel oil for heating, low-voltage electricity for lighting); (5) useful energy and energy services (e.g., a heated pot in the kitchen, an lighted desk for working, a transported person across a distance) – which is actually the ultimate target of the entire energy chain but which is usually not measured and not available as statistical data in current statistics.

Identified Challenges

Deploying high-quality energy data management systems requires considerable efforts at national and international levels.
Because the topic of energy in general can provide good statistical data, the focus of the discussion is more on the political measures as compared to statistical challenges.

Reliable energy statistics and – if data are analysed for consistency – energy balances are key ingredients for highly reliable energy modelling and scenario writing which increasingly becomes necessary to monitor compliance with internationally agreed energy policy and climate protection targets.

During the webinar, the following challenges for energy statistics have been identified:

Armenia Energy efficiency indicators are still needed but are already used for assessments. Armenia
Austria More helpful data on useful energy and energy services are needed to better describe the overall system efficacy. Austria
Bosnia and Herzegovina Statistics for the SDGs Indicators 7.1.2, 7.2.1, 7.3.1. Bosnia and Herzegovina
European Environment Agency (EEA) Improve the inclusion of data on favourable and unfavourable side-effects of renewable energy generation
Create new data categories that portray newly arisen, systemic and complex issues such as prosumerism, energy transition and smart grids
EEA
EU Commission Better insights into energy systems in neighbouring countries EU Commission
For more information, please see the presentations on the right.

 

Good practices

Armenia EU harmonisation requires European-standard data categories that also allow monitoring of national measures in the light of international agreements and EU directives. According to an aggregate assessment scorecard: Good practices are national energy efficiency planning, information provided to consumers about electricity usage, energy efficiency entities, carbon pricing and energy statistics. Armenia
Austria Improved energy categories in national energy statistics. Austria 

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Case study areas such as Sarajevo canton receive better assessments through data, e.g., mapping of all household furnaces and boilers. 

Bosnia and Herzegovina
European Environment Agency (EEA) EU greenhouse gas emission data are very well compiled, monitored and compared to existing targets, namely in a highly differentiated manner.
Side-effects of renewable energy generation are now much better monitored
 
EEA

Energy Community

The Secretariat of the Initiative for Coal Regions in the Western Balkans & Ukraine brings political cooperation with EU Neighbourhood countries to life, by being based on detailed statistics. Energy Community 
Georgia Data on single power plants are existing in detail, but their integration into national plans can still be expected. Georgia 
For more information, please see the presentations on the right.
National/international reporting - including for SDG indicators

Introduction

Energy is a highly tradable economic good, and therefore the ongoing transnational integration of energy grids calls for agreed formats for high-quality and reliable data, which must be available also to partner countries.

Moreover, many SDG require stable national economic infrastructures which requires stable energy systems.

Identified Challenges

 The main challenges that have been reported by the countries in terms of the national or international reporting are the following:

Armenia Several ambitious energy-related programmes and plans on the national level require consistent energy reporting tools and practices, in order to contextualise and frame the single programmes.  Armenia
Austria

An ever more highly efficient national reporting system becomes necessary in the light of the tremendous requirements of a consistent, technically and financially viable energy transition in Austria, as resulting from climate protection obligations. More parameters should be included into future statistics in order to monitor all components of the energy transition.

Austria

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Drafting and implementing a series of strategic documents in the field of energy efficiency and renewable energy sources in BiH, including care for their statistical monitoring tools. Bosnia and Herzegovina

European Environment Agency (EEA)

Additionally, to classical parameters, it is helpful to know “Examining the benefits, barriers and key enablers”. EEA
Energy Community EU Neighbourhood countries might soon bring their energy statistics into consistent form so that data will no more change considerably (as e.g., for biomass in BiH). Better exploitation of existing renewable potentials will be beneficial. Energy Community
EU Commission National energy statistics should provide data to monitor agreed Green Deal targets. EU Commission
Georgia Encourage national reporting systems to picture, monitor and assess the achievement of (inter)nationally agreed targets more visibly. Georgia

For more information, please see the presentations on the right.

Good practices

Armenia Large toolbox of policy frameworks, which should favour related reporting. Armenia undertakes evaluating and assessment exercises, for which data seem to be available. Standards and norms are updated to meet international practice. Large catalogue of successful demo/pilot solutions for scale up. Armenia
Austria

Successful reorganisation of the reporting department in the energy ministry.

Austria

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Integrated Energy and Climate Plan of BiH for the period 2021‐2030, incl. its energy statistics. On the regional level, information on household furnaces will be gathered during a
Survey of Sarajevo districts.
Bosnia and Herzegovina

European Environment Agency (EEA)

Detailed greenhouse gas emissions repositories are achieved, incl. trends and projections. EEA
Energy Community Based on detailed reporting, the shortcomings of each member state become easily visible and can be assessed. Energy Community
EU Commission The Green deal can be very easily communicated because of the existence of reliable national energy statistics. EU Commission
 

For more information, please see the presentations on the right.

Approach to Energy Information (including the availability of disaggregated data)

Introduction

Besides nationally aggregated energy data also disaggregated data are crucial to support decentralised energy planning and to monitor the degree to which targets are reached. However, such disaggregated data are still widely absent.

Identified Challenges

Armenia To plan and assess the existing regional energy projects, decentralised statistics would be required. Armenia
Austria

Burden sharing onto regional shoulders implies valid energy statistics, which are only partly present.

Austria

Bosnia and Herzegovina

The vast range of existing programmes and plans requires regional statistics, which seem absent as of now. Bosnia and Herzegovina
EU Commission The “Initiative for coal regions in the Western Balkans and Ukraine” requires regionalised data which seems to exist only partially.

EU Commission

For more information, please see the presentations on the right.

Good practices 

Armenia The many presented low-carbon development policies for the energy system require regional statistics which seem absent as of now. Local authorities slowly taking the lead, but still, municipalities lack skills and resources for energy planning and project development. Armenia
Austria

Municipal “energy and emission balances” were created starting with 1993, see chapter 2 in “Mapping Global Dynamics”, Springer, Netherlands. Municipal and regional initiatives often take the lead in creating pilot solutions, as do entrepreneurially minded Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

Austria
EU Commission See the initiative for coal regions.

EU Commission


For more information, please see the presentations on the right.

Data Use for Environment and Health Policies

Introduction 

The ultimate usage and meaning for energy data is to promote environment and health policies.
Given the character of the “energy” domain as an easily quantifiable theme, most effort of the webinar presentations did address policy-related areas.

Identified Challenges

Armenia A long list of international treaties, national policy framework and laws exists in Armenia, for which energy data are required: Energy Charter Treaty, Energy Community Observer Status, Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement with EU, United Nations Convention on Climate Change, Kyoto Protocol, Paris Agreement, NDC, etc.; and Eurasian Economic Cooperation, etc. Armenia’s National Development Strategy, National Energy Security Concept, National Strategy on Sustainable Energy Sector Dev’t, Energy Sector Development Strategy Program until 2040; and Law on Energy, introducing principles of Renewable Energy Promotion, Law "On Energy Saving and RES“ (voluntary) 2003. Amendment from 2016 for RES support & Mandatory EE, Technical regulation on Building Energy Efficiency (transposing EPBD), Gov’t Decree on Mandatory EE in New Construction and State-funded Projects 2014. Ongoing is the development of the draft of National EE&RE Program for 2021 to 2030 and 3rd NEEAP based on international best practices. Armenia
Austria

All policy fields, all administrative entities and all entrepreneurial fields need implementation-oriented energy statistics. This means that energy pioneers never find sufficiently many energy data.

Austria

Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Framework Energy Strategy (FES) of BiH until 2035 is aimed at prioritising the key energy strategic guidelines of Bosnia and Herzegovina with clearly set objectives and implementation priorities; it comprises 4 EU directives. Moreover: Energy Efficiency Action Plan of Bosnia and Herzegovina for the period 2016‐2018, Energy Efficiency Action Plan of Bosnia and Herzegovina for the period 2019-2021, Draft of Integral Strategy for the Renovation of buildings in Bosnia and Herzegovina for the period until 2050, National Renewable Energy Action Plan, Activities for the transition to the market based support oriented incentive systems for the renewable energy, Action plans for energy efficiency and renewable energy sources, which are to be replaced by the NECP BiH, Integrated Energy and Climate Pan of BiH for the period 2021‐2030, National Energy and Climate Plan of Bosnia and Herzegovina for 2021‐2030 (NECP). Bosnia and Herzegovina

European Environment Agency (EEA)

EEA’s tasks are: Promoting the sustainable development of renewables; tracking progress to the EU’s renewable energy targets. EEA
Energy Community EnC’s tasks are to act as an instrument to assist countries in the EU’s neighbourhood to reform their energy markets in line with EU law and principles; EnC’s treaty obligations are binding and backed up by a strong institutional setting and dispute settlement mechanism; and EnC’s legal framework is the Directive 2009/28/EC on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources, Policy Guidelines on the Applicability of the Guidelines on State Aid for Environmental Protection and Energy 2014-2020; and General Policy Guidelines on the 2030 Targets for the Contracting Parties of the Energy Community. Energy Community
EU Commission The EU Initiative for Coal Regions in Transition is a dialogue with stakeholders around decarbonising energy production and diversifying local economy, assisting the regions in devising energy transition strategies, identifying transition-related projects, and matching them with funding opportunities. EU Commission
Georgia Energy Legislation Harmonization to EU Directives includes:  Law on Energy and Water Supply; Law on Production and Use of Energy from Renewable Sources; Law on Energy Efficiency; Law on Energy Performance in Buildings. Georgia

For more information, please see the presentations on the right.

 

Good practices

Armenia A Sustainable Energy Policy Framework in Armenia is currently built up for “Sustainable Energy”. Armenia
Austria

All EU targets are to be achieved, even if these are very ambitious.

Austria

Bosnia and Herzegovina

All EnC targets are to be achieved, even if these are very ambitious. Bosnia and Herzegovina

European Environment Agency (EEA)

Administrates the quantification of monitoring results for the European Commission, and therefore has the closest access to energy data (on an aggregated level, typically).

EEA
Energy Community Oversees the implementation of EnC legislative acts in the states of a wider EU neighbourhood and therefore converts energy-related data into policies outside EU borders. Energy Community
EU Commission Installs several dedicated programmes such as bilateral dialogues on the Green Deal, e.g., among EU coal regions, with Ukraine or with the Western Balkans, and thus makes use of policy-oriented energy data from both inside and outside the EU. EU Commission
Georgia Uses policy-oriented energy data for development of ongoing legal initiatives, such as: NECP 2021‐2030 development (EE, RE and emissions targets); Energy Market Liberalization; Active development and Support Schemes for RE; Practical implementation of EE, EPB and RE laws’ goals; Increasing Energy Interconnection and Transit Potential of Georgia; and fulfilment of SDG targets. Georgia
Kazakhstan Might be on a path to plan programmes to achieve SDGs and internationally committed climate protection targets.

Kazakhstan


For more information, please see the presentations on the right.
Questions and Answers

Question: Are there any enforcement instruments in place for not being compliant (similar to EUs infringement procedures)?
Answer: It is to be noted that currently, the government of Kazakhstan is drafting a concept on low carbon development of Kazakhstan until 2050. Expected that this concept will be finished in 2021, it would be implemented.