Renewable energy is generally defined as energy that comes from resources which are naturally replenished on a human timescale •Renewable energy flows involve natural phenomena such as sunlight, wind, tides, plant growth and geothermal heat

1. Renewable Energy Training Week
Setting the scene: basic definitions
and core challenges
by Vidmantas Jankauskas, course moderator

2. Solar energy potential(TW)
Sun
Thermal energy
Transformed
thermal energy
Kinetic energy
Photosynthesis
To the space
80000
40000
300
30
Solar heat
Hydro energy
Energy of
wind and
waves
biofuel

3. Geothermal
Thermal
energy30 TW
Geothermal
boilers and
power plants
Earth’s internal heat
Variations in gravitational attraction exerted by celestial bodies
Energy of
Earth’s rotation
Tides
Tidal
power
plants
3 TW
Other RE sources

4. Renewable energy (RE)
• Renewable energy is generally defined as energy
that comes from resources which are naturally
replenished on a human timescale
• Renewable energy flows involve natural
phenomena such as sunlight, wind, tides, plant
growth and geothermal heat
Source: IEA
4

5. The main RE technologies
• Hydropower – traditional source of energy, plants
vary from huge dams to mini turbines
• Wind energy – globally growing share,
technologies already competing in cost with fossil
fuels
• Solar – the fastest growing technology
(photovoltaics), very fast decreasing cost
• Biomass – traditional fuel and new technological
approaches 5

6. Average levelised cost for plants entering service
in 2019
Plant type USD/MWh
Conventional gas, CC 66.3
Wind 80.3
Hydro 84.5
Gas with CCS 91.3
Conventional coal 95.6
Advanced nuclear 96.1
Solar PV 130
Coal with CCS 147
6
Source: EIA

7. Average PV module price
0
0,5
1
1,5
2
2,5
3
3,5
4
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
$/W
7Source: IRENA

8. Net power generation capacities added in the EU in
2013
-8000
-6000
-4000
-2000
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
MW
8Source: EPIA

9. Net power generation capacities added in the EU during
2000-2013
-40
-20
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
GW
9Source: EPIA

10. RE is used in
• Electricity generation
• Space heating/cooling, hot water preparation
• Motor fuels
• Off-grid services
• Water desalination
• …
10

11. Generations of biofuels
• First generation biofuels are produced directly from food crops
by abstracting the oils for use in biodiesel or producing
bioethanol through fermentation
• Second generation biofuels are produced from non-food crops
such as wood, organic waste, food crop waste and specific
biomass crops
• Third Generation of biofuels is based on improvements in the
production of biomass. It takes advantage of specially
engineered energy crops such as algae as its energy source
• Fourth generation biofuels are aimed at not only producing
sustainable energy but also a way of capturing and storing CO2 11

12. RES support approaches
• Direct product price support
 Flat rate price support for all renewable energy product
 Differentiated rate price support for each renewable energy product
 From fiscal budget of the government
 From dedicated budget collected from energy consumers
 Operational tax allowance (tax rebate, profit tax allowance)
• Investment support
 Direct investment grant from fiscal budget (repayable, non-repayable)
 Preferential credit program (low-interest rate support, credit guarantee)
 Investment tax allowances (VAT allowance for households, preferential
depreciation for businesses)
• Obligatory purchase of renewable energy products
 uniform purchase obligation for all renewable energy products
 purchase obligation for limited amounts of various renewable energy
products
 purchase rate requirement (quota obligation)
• Regulatory support for voluntary consumers of renewable energy
 tax allowances for consumers based on their voluntary consumption
 authorities providing guarantees of origin,
 obligatory disclosure of environmental information by energy products
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13. Main issues: RES support
• How to select a good support mechanism
• How to properly define parameters of the support
model
• Can we harmonise (at least, regionally) the RES
support mechanisms
• How to allocate properly the support burden
• How to set targets and reach them
13

14. Main issues: RES integration
• How to integrate RES into competitive electricity
market
• How to deal with intermittency
• How to connect RES to the networks
• How to overcome administrative and bureaucratic
barriers
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15. Let us start!
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