Created in 2000, the European Renewable Energy Council (EREC) is the umbrella organisation of the European renewable energy industry, trade and research associations active in the sectors of bioenergy, geothermal, ocean, small hydropower, solar electricity, solar thermal and wind energy. EREC represents the entire renewable energy industry with an annual turnover of more than 40 billion € and more than 400,000 employees.

EREC is composed of the following non-profit associations and federations:

AEBIOM (European Biomass Association)
EBB (European Biodiesel Board)
eBIO (European Bioethanol Fuel Association)
EGEC (European Geothermal Energy Council)
EPIA (European Photovoltaic Industry Association)
EREF (European Renewable Energies Federation)
ESHA (European Small Hydropower Association)
ESTELA (European Solar Thermal Electricity Association)
ESTIF (European Solar Thermal Industry Federation)
EUBIA (European Biomass Industry Association)
EU-OEA (European Ocean Energy Association)
EUREC Agency (European Association of Renewable Energy Research Centres)
EWEA (European Wind Energy Association)

For more information on EREC and its members: www.erec.org

EREC’s main roles in the project are:

• Production of a Background Report, in cooperation with FoEE, Green City and WIP. The Background Report aims to give scientific evidence to the 'Energy Union Message', in order to offer a complete picture of the current European state of the art of IE implementation. This should make it clear the reason why it is so important to take measures at personal as well as at political level to boost our common IE dimension.
• Final Energy Union Event organization in Brussels together with FoEE

Other tasks EREC has to accomplish during the project are the following:

• Contribute to the development of the Energy Union Message
• Supervise the correct transformation and dissemination of the Message during the AV show, the Political Fora and the campaign material development

20 % by 2020: more than possible!

The newly adopted Directive promoting the use of energy from renewable sources (RES Directive) set a binding target of 20% of renewable energy from final energy consumption by 2020.

EREC and its members assume that a 20% share of Renewable Energy in final energy consumption by 2020 is a realistic target for the EU under the condition that certain policy developments will occur and a continuation of the existing policy instruments are ensured. Some renewable energy sectors have even developed much more ambitious projections showing that the European renewable energy industry could deliver much more than 20 %. However, this will require that all EU Member States develop their RES potential & invest in these promising technologies for the future.

More information on how to reach this goal are available on EREC Renewable Energy Roadmap - 20% by 2020 (in English and French)