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In view of the current geopolitical situation, the EU and its Member States are accelerating efforts to reduce their dependency on fossil fuel imports, while simultaneously tackling the climate crisis. With heating in buildings accounting for a large share of the energy consumption in the EU, policies to phase-out fossil fuels for heating and to switch to renewables are key elements. In the context of the proposed actions to phase-out fossil fuels at EU level, this article provides a systematic analysis of current and planned phase-out regulations for fossil fuel boilers in the EU Member States. The paper quantifies the share of energy consumption for heating that is addressed by such regulations and finds that the current regulations only address about 10% of the total fossil energy consumption for heating in the EU. The share increases to almost 30% when considering the planned regulations, reflecting the fact that large energy consumers such as Germany and the Netherlands have announced such regulations. The analysis shows that several Member States with high energy consumption for heating have neither implemented nor announced plans to introduce phase-out regulations for fossil fuel heating. The study concludes that immediate policy action is needed both at EU and at Member State levels. At EU level, the proposed introduction of an end-date for stand-alone fossil fuel boilers needs to be substantiated and implemented into the legislative framework. At the national level, phase-out regulations for fossil fuel boilers need to be expanded both in quantity and scope. [Display omitted] • Systematic analysis of phase-out regulations for fossil fuel boilers in the EU. • Only 10% of the EU fossil energy used for heating is covered by phase-out regulations. • Including planned regulations, the share of heating energy covered by phase-out regulations increases to almost 30%. • Comparison of different approaches for implementing regulations for phasing out fossil fuel boilers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a comparative analysis of energy governance regarding nonconventional renewable energy sources (NCRES) in Brazil and Germany. Brazil is a world leader in the use of conventional renewable energy sources, such as hydro power, while Germany has been achieving outstanding results in fostering NCRES. The focus is on two critical issues: the legal and regulatory framework and the institutions created to support the NCRES market development. The comparison shows that, despite the very different energy situations and policy drivers, valuables lessons can be extracted from the German experience. The main lesson for Brazil is to think NCRES as a strategic opportunity to rely less on fossil fuel and large hydroelectric power plants, to decentralize the electric power sector, to use the huge solar, biomass and wind power potential available in the country and to create a environment-friendly NCRES industry. To this end, three critical points were identified: (1) the legal and regulatory framework should be improved; (2) long-term energy planning taking into account social, economic and climate issues and; (3) the current institutions supporting NCRES in Brazil should be upgraded and/or new ones, such as more specific energy agencies, should be created. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing utilization of renewable energy sources (RES) is a major energy policy strategy in many countries worldwide. Germany is a forerunner in the deployment of RES and has ambitious goals for the future. The support and use of renewables affects the economy: It creates business opportunities in sectors producing renewable energy facilities, but comes with costs related to supporting its deployment. This paper analyses and quantifies the net balance of economic effects associated with renewable energy deployment in Germany until 2030. To this end, we use a novel model, the ‘Sectoral Energy-Economic Econometric Model’. This is an econometric multi-country model which, for Germany, contains a detailed representation of industries, including 14 renewable energy technology sectors. Our results show that renewable energy expansion can be achieved without compromising growth or employment. The analysis reveals a positive net effect on economic growth in Germany. Net employment effects are small, but also positive. Their size depends strongly on labour market conditions and policies. Results at the industry level indicate the size and direction of the need for restructuring across the sectors of the Germany economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Energy is essential for our preservation and the improvement of our life-style. Today all major production of energy is generated from fossil fuels, which are non-renewable and significantly pollute the environment. Access to clean and reliable energy is crucial for assuring the development of countries such as Mexico. Mexico's economy is based on producing energy from fossil fuels 1 [1] 91% of Mexico's energy is produced from non-renewable energy sources. Moreover, 36% of primarily renewable energy corresponds to the use of firewood for cooking used in a non-healthy and non-sustainable way [42]. GTZ is the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH (German Technical Cooperation, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development). and the change to sustainable ways of life is still uncertain. It becomes essential to look at developed countries where the transition to sustainability has been rapidly increasing. This paper gives an overview of energy policies and the potential of solar photovoltaic energy in two countries: Germany, a world leader in the generation and development of photovoltaic technology; and Mexico, a country with great solar photovoltaic potential. It also describes the characteristics, advantages and disadvantages of photovoltaic technology, including BIPV systems. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper reviews on-farm renewable energy (RE) production and the associated feed-in tariff (FIT) policies in Germany, USA, Canada, Denmark and the Netherlands and the impact these policies have on Renewable energy implementation with particular focus on agricultural lands. A recent FIT policy implemented in Nova Scotia is examined and used as a case study to assess the potential affect these policies might be expected to have on RE implementation within the province. Several scenarios are developed based on the existing policy structure to provide a critical review of the policy and to identify potential modifications that might provide an increase in the implementation of RE. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]