Renewable Energy Sources. Some Considerations On The Approach Of Energy Crops At National Level To The European Context

AuthorCosmin Soare
Pages141-150
RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES. SOME CONSIDERATIONS ON THE
APPROACH OF ENERGY CROPS AT NATIONAL LEVEL TO THE
EUROPEAN CONTEXT
PhD. student Cosmin SOARE1
Abstract
The new climatic, industrial, economic and social realities, as well as their evolving perspectives, have led in
the last decades to a particularly careful approach to renewable energy sources. Thus, clear objectives for ensuring
public regulations and policies favoring the development and use of energy from renewable sources ha ve been set out.
Romania has rallied to the European model that aims to ensure energy security with competitive and clean energy. The
statistical data show that the progress is considerable and that Romania has mastered the objectives and targets thus
assumed. One of the current challenges is to ensure a unitary development of all renewable energy sources that have
potential at national level for sustainable development. Among these, special attention is paid to biomass, especially to
energy crops. The justification consists, on the one hand, of the very low level of development compared to the actual
capacities, and, on the other hand, the intervention of some legislative changes that seem to continue to hinder this
development.
Keywords: renewable energy, sources, European objectives, European policies, energy security, clean energy,
biomass, energy crops.
JEL Classification: K32, K33
1. Legislative framework relevant at European level
At European level, the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union2 establishes the
coordinates of environmental and energy policies by Articles 1913 and 1944.
As an assertive promoter of green energy, the European Union has adopted a number of
legislative measures to implement the provisions of the Treaty. Among these, the measures in support
of sustainable investment in the renewable energy sector are relevant to the subject of this study.
The milestone is marked by the adoption by the European Parliament and the Council on 27
September 2001 of Directive 2001/77/EC on the promotion of electricity produced from renewable
energy sources5.
Renewable energy sources are, according to the Directive, non-fossil renewable energy
sources, namely wind, solar, geothermal, wave, hydro and hydroelectric energy, biomass, waste gas
fermentation, gas from sewage treatment plants and biogas.
Among the types of renewable energy sources, biomass represents the biodegradable fraction
of products, waste and residues from agriculture, including vegetal and animal substances, forestry
and related industries, as well as the biodegradable fraction of industrial and municipal waste.
Biomass is by far the most consistent renewable energy source at the level of the European
Union, representing in the year 2015 not less than 63.3% of the total energy production from
1 Cosmin Soare Faculty of Law, University of Bucharest, Romania, cosmin.alexandru.soare@drd.unibuc.ro.
2 Published in JO C 326 , 26/10/2012, p. 0001 - 0390.
3 Union policy on the environment contributes to the following objectives: preserving, protecting and improving the quality of the
environment; protecting the health of people; the prudent and rational use of natural resources; international promotion of measures to
counteract environmental problems on a regional or global scale, and in particular the fight against climate change.
4 The Union's energy policy pursues, in a spirit of solidarity between Member States: to ensure the functioning o f the energy market;
to ensure the security of energy supply in the Union; promote energy efficiency and energy saving as well as the development of new
sources of energy and renewable energies; to promote the interconnection of energy networks.
5Published in OJ L 283, 27.10.2001, p. 33-40. This was followed by Directive 2 003/30/EC of the European Parliament and of the
Council of 8 May 2003 on the promotion of the use of biofuels and other renewable fuels for transport, published in OJ L 123,
17.5.2003, p. 42-46. Directive 2009/28/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2009 on the promotion of th e
use of energy from renewable so urces, amending and subsequently repealing Directives 2001/77/EC and 2003/30/EC, is currently in
force, published in OJ L 140, 5.6.2009, p. 16-62.

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