State aid for solid biomass : the case for improved scrutiny

ZUIDEMA, Linde

State aid for solid biomass : the case for improved scrutiny

dc.contributor.author	ZUIDEMA, Linde
dc.date.accessioned	2020-10-28T14:36:02Z
dc.date.available	2020-10-28T14:36:02Z
dc.date.issued	2020
dc.description.abstract	This paper asks whether current State aid rules for solid biomass are still fit for purpose and considers the scope for revision of those rules. The paper is structured to present: (i) the rationale and logic of the current State aid regime for support to renewable energy; (ii) the implementation of support for bioenergy deployment since 2005; (iii) the effects of support on markets and the environment; (iv) the relevance of newly adopted policies and policy objectives; and (v) the scope for revision of the rules to better allocate State aid to achieve long-term climate goals. The paper argues that ignoring the external costs of forest biomass use in State aid assessments may lead to a skewed image of its cost-effectiveness as a renewable energy option. This reveals an important discrepancy between the specific way in which biomass support is treated by the current rules and the rationale and objectives of the current State aid regime for renewable energy. Not factoring in external costs of forest biomass may result in an inherently preferential treatment of solid biomass and hinder the development of other – more innovative and cleaner – technologies, which could undermine the principle of technology-neutrality embedded in the Guidelines on State aid for environmental protection and energy (EEAG). This is especially concerning in the case of continuous operating aid for the use of solid biomass as a (close-to) mature technology, which can lead to a lock-in of State aid, of a specific renewable energy technology and of biomass materials for energetic use.	en
dc.format.mimetype	application/pdf	en
dc.identifier.issn	1725-6739
dc.identifier.uri	https://hdl.handle.net/1814/68737
dc.language.iso	en	en
dc.orcid.upload	true	*
dc.publisher	European University Institute	en
dc.relation.ispartofseries	EUI LAW	en
dc.relation.ispartofseries	2020/13	en
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess	en
dc.rights.license	Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International	*
dc.rights.uri	http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/	*
dc.subject	State aid	en
dc.subject	Renewable energy	en
dc.subject	Climate	en
dc.subject	Biomass	en
dc.subject	Environment	en
dc.subject.other	CoFoE	en
dc.subject.other	Climate	en
dc.title	State aid for solid biomass : the case for improved scrutiny	en
dc.type	Working Paper	en
dspace.entity.type	Publication
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person.identifier.other	44486
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