The RE2020 and the climate law become obsolete with the European program "Fit for 55"

Batirama.com 19/07/20210

In December 2019, the European Green Deal set the goals to be achieved.The European Climate Act has enrolled them in European law.The “Fit for 55” program details the means to achieve it.

The Fit for 55 program puts to music the very recent European climate law.Adopted this month, it notably requires a reduction in greenhouse gases of 55% by 2030, compared to 1990, as well as the carbon neutrality of Europe from 2050.

The Fit for 55 program (loan for 55, or ready for a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030), presented on July 14, 2021 by the European Commission, draws up a list of means to achieve it.

Insufficient, prudent, suicidal or very favorable

Concretely, the Commission proposes to revise several European directives and regulations in the sense of a reduction in energy consumption and clearly greater greenhouse gas emissions than the current texts provide.This is a real acceleration.The reactions have been rapid and very contrasting.Most of the major world associations committed to the defense of the environment, from Greenpeace to WWF, immediately indicated that this program would not be enough to respect the commitments of the Paris Agreements.

In a vehement manner, other more targeted associations stressed that the measures envisaged would not be enough to achieve European goals.The Efuel Alliance, for example, which promotes in Europe fuels of biological origin, believes that concentrating the energy future of transport on electricity and hydrogen, without evoking either biofioul or biogas, is a big mistake.

Some lobbies immediately denounced this program as suicidal for economic activity, in particular shipowners and road transporters.

More prudent, Cembureau, which brings together European cement manufacturers, welcomed the "Fit for 55" program, stressing, however, that it would take a carbon barrier at the borders of Europe so as not to penalize the European cement makers who would commitin major investments to decarbonize their production.

Likewise Cembureau will be attentive to developments in ETS (EU Emission Trading Scheme) which allows the exchange of carbon quotas between European manufacturers.

In the right direction for renewable energies

A third group, finally, like the Ser (Syndicat des Energies Renewable) and Solar Heat Europe which defends solar thermal, think on the contrary that these proposals go in the right direction with regard to renewable energy.Solar Heat Europe expects in particular of "Fit for 55", a new impetus in favor of thermal solar and an acceleration of a transition from the European economy to 100% renewable energy.

In this third group, Solarpower Europe, the association which defends photovoltaics, indicated that the program constitutes a step forward, but still remains a little timid.The association notably requests that the level of photovoltaic production to be reached is clearly raised, going from 32 to 45% of the European energy balance, expressed in final energy, from 2030.

Solarpower Europe also requests that the storage of electricity be made compulsory in all new buildings and in the event of a heavy renovation.In short, everyone sees noon at their door and exercises a strong lobbying in the sense that suits them.

Quelles sont les propositions de la Commission dans « Fit for 55»» ?

But, in reality, what does "Fit for 55" contain?First of all, it should be noted that this is a series of 12 proposals for European directives and regulations.

It will take years to achieve this.Revise a directive takes at least 5 years, 2 to 3 years for European regulations.The new ways no longer need to be transposed by national law, which could add 5 to 10 years.They apply upon publication and the provisions they contain come into force on the date indicated by the directive.

As for the content of "Fit for 55", let's start with what does not directly concern the building.The Commission proposes to revise the ETS, the mechanism which puts a price on the ton of carbon equivalent released in the atmosphere and organizes a carbon market in Europe.

Over the past 16 years, this mechanism has dropped to GHG emissions by electricity producers and 42.8% heavy industries.The Commission proposes to lower authorized emission ceilings and to implement discounts over 15 years at an accelerated pace.

It also proposes, in the space of ten years, to cancel the free emission quotas allocated to air transport, with the exception of air freight and, for the first time, to include maritime freight in this mechanism ofquotas.

Plant 3 billion trees in Europe by 2030

On the other hand, the Commission wishes to se weigh the 2018 regulation (EU) 2018/842 which sets annual GHG reductions to each Member State, taking into account their respective PNBs per capita.

The Commission also wants to set the annual Natural Carbon Wave States to the member states to reach 310 million tonnes of CO2 emissions stored annually by 2030.This objective, while recalling that it must be possible to continue to exploit biomass renewable, is accompanied by a plan to plant 3 billion trees across Europe by 2030.

The most spectacular measure is certainly the one that requires that new cars and vans see their emissions drop by 55% by 2030 and 100% (still compared to 1990) by 2035.Which means, basically, that in 2035, manufacturers can only market in Europe only hydrogen or electric vehicles.© PP

Finally, the Commission calls for a sort of border tax, while defending itself from the fact that it is a tax, which would strike imports, produced by product, if producers abroad are not subjectto the same constraints to reduce the carbon content of their production as European manufacturers.Russian aluminum and steel manufacturers protested on July 15.

The building is particularly concerned

In the fields that directly affect the building and its technical equipment, in a 578 -page document, the Commission proposes to strengthen the requirements of the energy efficiency directive, the famous Ecodesign Directive.It is a question of bringing the improvement of energy efficiency to 36-37% in 2030 (compared to a scenario established in 2007) instead of 32.5% initially planned.

All economic sectors will be concerned, from finance to agriculture.But the building appears in the first leader in this severization.The Commission considers that 70% of existing buildings in Europe have mediocre energy performance.

The Commission therefore recalls that new public buildings must be at almost zero energy consumption and that this obligation must extend to public buildings subject to a heavy renovation (page 38 of the 578 pages document).

In a wider way, the Commission wishes page 49 of this document that the member states convert all their buildings into "almost naked energy consumption".A large acceleration of the renovation is to be expected.

The Commission also stresses that during winter 2019 approximately 34 million households in the European Union were too poor to warm up properly.It provides for a specific budget to support the renovation of these dwellings occupied by precarious families, but calls on member states to redouble their efforts on this point.

This very long document still contains a mass of recommendations on the development of heat and cold networks, on the support of the most effective technologies for heating and refreshing and on the development of ENR in the building.To be continued in future articles on Batirama.com.© Bdr-thermea

The directive on the promotion of renewable energies will be modified so that the contribution of ENR is increased to 40% of the annual energy consumption assessment in Europe, expressed in primary energy.In addition, sustainability criteria will have to be developed in each state to regulate the use of biomass.

In France, the RE 2020 and the climate law become obsolete

What immediately emerges from the proposals "Fit for 55" is that all the laws and regulations in preparation in France, from the climate and resilience law to the RE2020, have become inactual at once.

Even before its publication, the RE2020, which has abandoned any reference to almost naked consumption and the BEPOS (positive energy building), does not contain any specific obligation for public buildings and does not particularly promote photovoltaic solar, or solarthermal, therefore already seems obsolete.

In a press release published on July 14, the government "welcomes the publication by the European Commission of proposals for concrete actions to accelerate the fight against climate change, achieve climate neutrality in 2050 and hold the objective of reductiongreenhouse gas emissions of at least 55% in 2030 compared to 1990»»

And, continues the press release, "France welcomes the work carried out by the Commission, which takes up a certain number of French priorities such as the carbon adjustment mechanism to the borders.These proposals will now be the subject of in -depth negotiations for several months within the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers, which represents the member states.The French Presidency of the European Union which will start in January 2022 will make it possible to advance these negotiations.»»

There is no question of modifying the texts during discussion to adjust their ambitions upwards.On the contrary, France has done everything, since "this global approach corresponds to that which France has adopted with the France Plan revs and the Climate and Resilience Bill: this is what allows a plan tocredible action, focused on the results, efficiency and social justice of climate policies.»»

Source: Batirama.Com / Pascal Poggi