Training seminar on the benefits of RES

On September 24, 2009, SUPPORT_ERS hosted a training session on support for RES at the regional level in Warsaw, Poland. The session was generously hosted by the Polish National Energy Conservation Agency, KAPE, and was held within the framework of a RES-H Policy (http://www.res-h-policy.eu/) project workshop on "Quantitative targets of heat and cold production from RES in Poland until 2030". Around 30 representatives from Polish administration, academia and the RES industry participated in the session.

SUPPORT_ERS project coordinator Ulrike Leis from GTZ gave an outline of the scope and goals oft he SUPPORT_ERS project (http://www.support-ers.eu/) before she presented an overview of RES support instruments in different EU countries. In the second part of her presentation she discussed barriers of RES development and policy recommendations and best practices on how to overcome these barriers. The discussion that followed the presentation focused on the German Act on the Promotion of Renewable Energies in the Heat Sector (EEWärmeG) as well as on the question of how to strike a balance between long-term support schemes and those adapting to new technologies.
The second presentation within the SUPPORT_ERS seminar was held by Mr. Andreas Drack from the Upper Austrian Academy for Environment and Nature. He presented the regional biomass strategy of Upper Austria with a focus on the regional energy concept, RES targets and achievements in the field of biomass for heating. He also presented examples of exemplary biomass plants in the region. After the presentation, Mr. Drack discussed with the audience questions that arose around the topics of biogas quality standards, energy versus food and the fear that hydropower might be affected by climate change in the future.

The presentations by Ms. Leis and Mr. Drack can be found here.

• Presentation Ulrike Leis, GTZ Berlin
• Presentation Andreas Drack, Upper Austria
• A meeting agenda can be found here.