Red III: the final go-ahead for the new Renewables Directive

After several months of deadlock, agreement has finally been reached to approve RED III, the Renewable Energy Directive (EU Directive 2018/2001).

This is an important decision for the future of the planet and a significant step by the European Union to achieve the energy transition. This directive is part of the ‘Fit for 55’ package adopted in 2021 by the EU to help achieve the climate targets of the European Green Deal.

Let us look in detail at what is new in the RED III Directive.

Changes and novelties of RED III

With the RED III directive, there are changes and innovations compared to the previous RED II directive.

In particular, it was decided to increase the share of renewable energies in final energy consumption by the European community: from theinitial target of 40 per cent in 2021 to 42.5 per cent 42,5% by 2030 2030with the possibility of increasing this by a further 2.5 per cent to reach the 45 per cent envisaged by the RePowerEU.

Other highlights of the agreement and the RED III directive include:

• simplifying and speeding up authorisation procedures for new concessions
• new targets for the transport sector: EU member states will have the choice of either a 14.5% reduction in greenhouse gas intensity or a target of at least 29% renewable energy in final energy consumption
• industries will have to increase their use of renewable energy: 42% of hydrogen will have to come from renewable fuels of non-biological origin by 2030, a share that will rise to 60% by 2035.
• interventions in air-conditioning and heating systems in buildings, which will have to be powered by renewable energy. A 49% share of renewable energy in buildings by 2030 is introduced.
• stricter criteria are envisaged for the production of energy from biomass, which will, however, remain assessed as renewable.
• Renewables will have to contribute at least 5.5 per cent of advanced biofuels and renewable fuels of non-biological origin (renewable hydrogen and synthetic hydrogen fuels) to the sector’s consumption.

RED III directive’s focus on hydrogen produced by electrolysis

The European Renewable Energy Directive RED III talks about renewable fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBO), in this case referring to fuels produced using energy from other renewable energy sources.

This is where hydrogen comes in.
Specifically, the description of ‘renewable hydrogen’ is more clearly defined, establishing strict criteria to ensure that the energy used for electrolysis is indeed renewable.

Electrolysis is the electrochemical process used to produce hydrogen from water. This technology allows for zero emissions, provided that the energy supplied to the system comes from renewable sources.

In fact, hydrogen produced through electrolysis is the only fuel that does not generate any pollutants, no matter how it is used.

For this reason, the production of hydrogen through electrolysis is crucial to achieving the pollutant emission reduction targets set by the European Union.

Simplifhy Solutions for Hydrogen Utilisation

Simplifhy designs and realises complete solutions for the production and use of hydrogen.
The aim is to contribute to decarbonisation through the use of technologies based on the use of hydrogen as an energy carrier and alternative fuel.

In addition to this, Simplifhy is also able to offer solutions for the on-site production of hydrogen by means of an electrolysis plant connected to renewable energy sources.

Indeed, hydrogen from renewable sources is a very encouraging alternative for a faster energy transition.