Although in its latest communications the Commission was convinced that it is too early for harmonisation, it still seems timely to discuss the matter for the longer term. With 2-10% of the overall national energy demand of most EU Member States, renewable energy is presently a modest market. If the market was to remain at its present size, it is still potentially workable that the ‘renewable energy market’ in Europe is a patchwork of tiny national markets, with some cross-border trade.

But taking a broader view, renewable energy deserves to take a larger share of energy demand and develop into a commodities market, like oil, gas and coal. But while fossil fuels can be physically verified, green energy inevitably needs some kind of certificate or guarantee of origin system, in oder to be traded across borders in a proper way.

I think the Commission still does not want to choose any particular policy instrument. Member States will not allow their newly introduced laws to be changed because of laws from Brussels again – and that applies to both ‘feed-in’ countries like Germany and Spain or ‘obligation-based’ countries like the UK and Sweden. But the administrative harmonisation of green energy trade has to be considered, in order to introduce a real internal market for renewable energy in the EU.

Rolf de Vos

Editor in chief

GreenPrices

r.devos@greenprices.com