Project

The recast Renewable Energy Directive (RED II) created a legal basis for using renewable liquid and gaseous transport fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBO) for renewable energy target achievement in the European Union (EU). Since then, the public and private sector allocated significant resources for the scale-up of RFNBO technologies, which are seen as an indispensable pillar of de-carbonised energy systems. The risk of a fast RFNBO scale-up lies in their production, which requires large amounts of electricity and so may cause significant CO₂ emissions should this electricity be fossil-based. Requirements are needed to ensure future RFNBOs are based on renewable electricity (RES-E). RED II introduces requirements by which evidence can be produced that a unit of RFNBO constitutes a renewable energy carrier (Art. 27 and Recital 90) to count towards transport sector renewable energy targets (RES-T). This will be specified in a Delegated Act (DA) in 2021.

Against this background, this project considers options how RFNBO producers can demonstrate compliance with RED II requirements. It considers literature and position papers and discussions with the Commission and other experts.

The objective of the assignment is to assist the Commission in three ways:

1. Provide detailed information on the potential of RFNBOs and RCFs in the EU from 2020 to 2050, including deployment potential, technology readiness level, resource competition and decarbonisation potential (Task 1).
2. Develop a methodology that enables producers of RFNBOs to deliver evidence that the renewable electricity used in the production of their fuel is fully renewable (Task 2).
3. Develop a general framework to measure the additionality of electricity in the EU transport sector by developing different options with a view to determining the baseline of Member States and measuring additionality (Task 3).

The outcomes of the assignment shall feed into a delegated act and in the preparation of a frame-work for additionality in the transport sector.

• Task 1: Assessment of the potential of RFNBOs and RCFs over the period 2020 to 2050 in the EU transport sector. Publications Office of the European Union, 2023. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2833/195142
• Task 2: Methodology to determine the share of renewable energy. Publications Office of the European Union, 2023.  https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2833/031728
• Task 3: Develop a framework on additionality in the EU transport sector. Publications Office of the European Union, 2023. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2833/343088

From May 2020 until November 2021

European Commission (DG ENER)

• Guidehouse Energy Germany GmbH (lead)
  
• Institut für Industriebetriebslehre und Industrielle Produktion (IIP), Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT), Germany
• TU Wien Energy Economics Group (EEG), Austria