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A.Rozhko, H.Wiesmeth: Framework conditions for using renewable energy sources:
Quo Vadis, Ukraine?
environmentally friendly technologies (for further details on the German «energy transition»
(Energiewende) see Wiesmeth (2011a)).
Similarly, in its 7th Environment Action Programme adopted by the EU Commission in
late November 2012, the European Union (EU) wants to fully implement the «climate and
energy package» by 2020. According to the «20-20-20» aim, by 2020 the EU's greenhouse gas
emissions should be reduced by 20% compared to 1990, the share of renewable energies in EU
energy consumption should increase by 20%, and, in addition, the energy efficiency in the EU
should rise by 20%. It is expected that these objectives will contribute to the mitigation of
climate change and to the security of energy supply in the EU. The anticipated increasing
international competitiveness of European enterprises in environmental technologies will thus
stimulate «green growth» (see EU (2012)).
These are ambitious goals that will be accessible only by concrete measures and supportive
framework conditions. In Germany there is for example the «Renewable Energy Sources Act»
(Erneuerbaren- Energien-Gesetz – EEG) with its guaranteed feed-in-tariffs (see Deutschland
(2004)). Figure 1 shows the proliferation, which demonstrates the experience of feed-in tariffs’
implementation all over the world as an instrument for the promotion of alternative energy sources.
Figure 1: Number of developed and developing countries with feed-in tariffs for electricity from
renewable energy sources (IRENA (2012))
The situation in Ukraine seems more complex and it will now be analyzed in more detail. In
2010, the share of alternative energy sources (solar, wind, biomass, geothermal) within total primary
energy consumption of Ukraine was estimated at less than 1%. If the capacities of the large
hydropower plants were added, the share of renewable energy would increase to approximately 3%.
This share of the renewables is, however, too low in comparison to the potential of the country,
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