2013 pdf digital newsletter september 2013

© PDF _ DIGITAL NEWSLETTER – SEPTEMBER 2013 • EYE CATCHER: PRESS RELEASE AIE-GCI-UICP ‘EU INSTALLERS SUMMIT’ • EUROPEAN NEWS [Directive/Project] • SECTOR RELATED NEWS • FUTURE EVENTS: EU PV SEC | SAVE THE DATE(s) 2014 • PUBLICATIONS [Position Papers/Press Release]

01_Eye catcher: EU Commissioner for Climate Action Mrs Connie Hedegaard speeches at the joint Installers’ European Summit 2013 for AIE and GCI‐UICP delegates. AIE/GCI‐UICP Member association TEKNIQ – the Danish mechanical and electrical contractors’ association – united both delegations of AIE and GCI‐UICP members within the Installers’ EU Summit 2013, that took place from Thursday 12th until Saturday 14th September 2013 in COPENHAGEN, DENMARK. Both delegations’ General Assemblies were held on Friday morning. AIE President Janne Skogberg highlighted the need for AIE community and win‐ win support to inspire each other businesswise. General Secretary Evelyne Schellekens gave a clearly structured annual report linked to the AIE Strategic Roadmap. This living document identifies the main values, the objectives, drivers and activities of the AIE. Under the main headings, she identified the topics discussed in Brussels, referring to the respective AIE activities over the last year and making proposals for action in 2013‐2014. This annual report can be downloaded at our AIE website in EN [FR | DE versions in translation and available soon].

General Secretary Mr Niels Jørgen Hansen warmly welcomes all delegates to the common conference on Friday afternoon

After interesting reports of the chairmen of the technical and energy task forces on the AIE activities and perspectives of their respective field, the delegates unanimously approved to join WorldSkills Europe [WSE] as ‘associate member’ and to integrate the AIE CYE in the WorldSkills Europe competition framework. The AIE’s statutory Council of Delegates equally approved modifications of the articles of the Association to include a new term for the Presidency mandate. Furthermore, a new Vice‐President, Mr Allan Littler, chartered Electrical Engineer and Manager, currently Chairman of Amalgamated Ltd, member of the ECA has been elected. The current members of the AIE Policy Coordination Committee are: > President | Mr. Janne Skogberg – STUL [FI] > Vice‐President | Mr. Allan Littler – ECA [UK] > Expert | Mr. Gunnar Gran – NELFO [NO] > Authorized person | Karl‐Heinz Bertram ‐ ZVEH [DE]

Afternoon conference eye‐catcher was EU Commissioner for Climate Action Mrs Connie Hedegaard, vividly holding her speech towards the delegates on the clearly visible climate change and the challenging actions that lie beyond ‐ not for politicians only ‐ but obviously also for company managers who can shift their company activities to more renewable and energy efficient technologies.

The know‐how and driving force behind this global technology change is being and has to be pushed by the resourceful existing and future electrotechnical and mechanical companies.

EU Commissioner for Climate Action Mrs Connie Hedegaard held a passionate speech and called for specific action by existing and future electrotechnical and mechanical companies to positively influence climate change by energy efficient measures and solutions.

Another important highlight was the Agreement of Cooperation (AoC) between AIE and GCI‐UICP. This enhanced cooperation between European associations in the building services sector should now be continued in a more flexible framework allowing for specific joint initiatives. The present agreement sets the funding principles, form and boundaries of this cooperation. AIE President Janne Skogberg and the Policy Coordination Committee therefore warmly thanked TEKNIQ President Mr Søren Skraeddergaard and General Secretary Mr Niels Jørgen Hansen for managing a very successful balance between the appreciated timing of the general programme, a fruitful business programme with an interesting key note speaker, Mrs Hedegaard, constructive exchanges of associations‘ best practices and pleasant and relaxing social activities! This event will stay in our memories as a successful moment with a special Danish touch and taste! > Download the full press release here | © Copyright pictures: TEKNIQ/Thomas Steen Sørensen

02_European news [Directives / Projects] 02‐01: LOT 20: ELECTRIC LOCAL SPACE HEATING PRODUCTS and * LOT 8: POWER CABLES > LOT 20: During the summer 2013, the EC presented another revised text of Ecodesign / Labelling regulation for electric Local Space Heaters. The proposal includes a last‐minute discriminatory information obligation for electric heaters that has not been subject to any impact assessment or public consultation.

The inclusion of a labelling requirement in the separate ecodesign regulation is an attempt to address the energy performance of electric heaters in EU law. Electric heaters have been excluded from EU energy labelling requirements for the so‐called Lot 20 product category covering space heaters, despite them representing about 87% of all appliances in this category. According to the Commission’s plans, as of 2016 a mandatory warning on products, packages, user manuals, and websites should state: ‘This product is not suitable for use as your main source of heating due to its high energy consumption and costs (equivalent to energy labelling class G)!’ But the commission is facing strong resistance from industry. The proposed ecodesign and labelling requirements for local space heaters (LSH) had to be voted on in the Regulatory Committee of 24 September 2013 but the European Commission has delayed the vote. The regulatory committee vote will now take place on 9‐10 October. This leave us and the AIE members some more time to contact and lobby the relevant members of the regulatory committee (see previous communication) The AIE has introduced its position paper prior to the Regulatory Committee meeting.

> LOT 8: POWER CABLES In the context of the Ecodesign Directive (2009/125/EC), DG Enterprise of the European Commission (EC) recently launched a preparatory study: Lot 8 on Power cables. Given the expected complexity of this product group, the project team and the EC have decided to consult some selected stakeholders at the very beginning of the study, amongst which the AIE! The AIE representative to these meetings will be Mr Danny Hermans from Belgium who will follow up this issue and be in close contact with the Technical Task Force.

02‐02 EUROPEAN COMMISSION MOVES FORWARD ON CLIMATE AND ENERGY TOWARDS 2030 On 27 March 2013, the European Commission adopted a Green Paper on "A 2030 framework for climate and energy policies". Developing a 2030 framework for EU climate change and energy policies is necessary to provide certainty and reduced regulatory risk for investors and to mobilise the funding needed; to support progress towards a competitive economy and a secure energy system; and to establish the EU's 2030 ambition level for GHG reductions in view of a new international agreement on climate change foreseen for 2015. The 2030 framework will build on the experience and lessons learnt from the 2020 framework and will identify where improvements can be made.

The Green Paper raises a set of questions, including: • • • •

What type, nature and level of climate and energy targets should be set for 2030? How can coherence between different policy instruments be attained? How can the energy system best contribute to EU competitiveness? How can Member States' different capacities to act be taken into account?

The AIE responded to the consultation by focusing on one main aspect but of utmost importance for our sector: energy efficiency. Energy efficiency is clearly a driver for installation companies creating a market of business opportunities and growth for thousands of companies in Europe! Europe needs an ambitious policy in the field of energy efficiency and simultaneously to develop its capacity of innovation in the field of energy storage, smart grids… The AIE equally referred in its response to the European Commission’s “Communication on Energy Technologies and Innovation”. As part of the key measures proposed in this Communication is the proposal to develop an Integrated Roadmap. The objective of the Integrated Roadmap is to prioritise the development of innovative solutions which will respond to the needs of the European energy system by 2020, 2030 and beyond. The key principle is the need to integrate technology and innovation action with the energy policy that can only create business opportunities for AIE’s member companies!

02‐03 COMMUNICATION ON ENERGY TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION CHALLENGES ‐ AIE INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS On 2 May 2013, the Commission adopted a Communication on Energy Technologies and Innovation1. As part of the key measures proposed in this Communication is the proposal to develop an Integrated Roadmap under the guidance of the SET Plan Steering Group by the end of 2013. The AIE is invited to participate in the preparation of the integrated roadmap during the autumn. The objective of the Integrated Roadmap is to prioritise the development of innovative solutions which will respond to the needs of the European energy system by 2020, 2030 and beyond. The key principle is the need to integrate technology and innovation action with the energy policy. It is proposed to organize the Integrated Roadmap according to 5 main parts: Part I will be dedicated to ‘Energy efficiency’ encompassing energy efficiency in buildings, appliances, industrial sectors and in the energy system as a whole. It will cover the impact of energy efficiency measures on the needs for heating and cooling.

* One of the challenges: more energy savings in buildings by i.e. : – Increasing the rate and depth of building renovation – Increasing the availability of qualified skills of management and workforce in the construction sector – Moving to integrated design of a building – Developing tools to induce stronger energy saving behaviour of households Part II will be dedicated to ‘Competitive, efficient, secure, sustainable and flexible energy system’. It will focus on actions enabling energy system integration, ensuring flexibility of the European energy system, security of energy supply and active consumer participation. Part III will be dedicated to fostering innovation in real environments and through a market driven framework, encompassing market uptake measures supporting energy policy implementation (for grids, renewable energy, energy efficiency and other EU energy policy areas as well). Part IV will identify synergies between Parts I, II, III, provide an overview of the role and tasks of the different stakeholders. Part V will deal with the Monitoring and Review of the Integrated Roadmap. The Integrated Roadmap will have 6 year time coverage for research and innovation actions to provide sufficient time perspectives for investments in the sectors. A mid‐term review of the Integrated Roadmap is foreseen to account for any new developments as necessary.

02‐04 EU‐CHINA AGREEMENT ON SOLAR CELLS IMPORT On 1 March 2013 the Commission Regulation (EU) No 182/2013 was published in the Official Journal making imports of crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules and key components (i.e. cells and wafers) originating in or consigned from the People’s Republic of China subject to registration. This means that with effect from 6 March 2013, all EU member states had to register all crystalline solar modules, cells, etc. imported to Europe from China. At the same time, it was decided to impose provisional anti‐dumping duties on these registered Chinese solar cells starting with an immediate hike of 11.8 percent. The tariff was set to rise to 47.6 percent on average by August 6. After months of escalating disputes, the European Union announced end of July it had reached an agreement with the Chinese Chamber of Commerce settling their dispute over the export of underpriced Chinese solar panels. The agreement came nearly eight weeks after the EU imposed punitive tariffs on solar panels and their components, solar cells and wafers. The AIE reacted in due time towards the EU seriously questioning the possibility to levy definitive duties retroactively.

Indeed, a number of solar cell importers and retailers, including electric installers, would have to pay duties on solar cells ordered without being aware of (the level of) future possible duties. This would have resulted in a lot of economic and financial uncertainties on the market, not desirable in the current difficult economic situation in Europe.

02‐05 INSTALL+RES: A SUCCESSFUL EUROPEAN PROJECT ‐ QUALIFICATION OF TRAINERS AND INSTALLERS OF RES SYSTEMS IN BUILDINGS User rules for new "smart" digital tachographs for trucks and buses were approved by the Transport and The Install+RES aims to implement high quality training courses for installers of small‐scale renewable energy systems in buildings. This involves the following actions: → Development of high quality training material → Implementation of training courses for trainers → Translation and localization of the training material → Implementation of the training courses for installers One of the added values of the “Install+RES” training courses is represented by the “hands on learning” concept. “Hands on learning” means that the Install+RES training course provides the participants with practical lessons on how to install RES systems in buildings. The project ran until April 2013. The AIE was an active partner and stakeholder in the project and co‐organised the final strategic workshop "Training and qualification of small‐scale RES installers in Europe", attended by the EC and some national representatives of Member States. The final report with best practices is ready since begin September and available at the AIE. (see 05‐01 publications)

02‐06 INTERESTING EU LEGAL DATABASE ON RENEWABLE ENERGY POLICIES The ‘RES‐LEGAL.EU’ website gives you information on the important legislation on the support schemes, grid issues and policies for energy from renewable sources covering all three energy sectors: electricity, heating & cooling and transport. The scope of this database covers all the EU 27 Member States, the EFTA Countries and some EU Accession Countries. RES LEGAL Europe will help you gather, analyse and compare information on renewable energy policies. The website offers links to all relevant original legislation, is free of charge and is updated on a regular basis. > Take a glimpse at: http://www.res‐legal.eu/

03_ Sector related news 03‐01 EU PVSEC 2013 | 30 SEPTEMBER ‐ 04 OCTOBER 2013 | Paris, FRANCE | www.photovoltaic‐ conference.com‐ 30.9 ‐ 04 OCTOBRE 2013 CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION | Full press release here The 28th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition opened yesterday Monday, 30 September 2013, in Paris, France • Driver for accelerated global implementation of PV as a major electricity source • 1,600 Keynote, Plenary, Oral and Visual Presentations covering the entire scope of Photovoltaic technologies, markets and applications • 150 additional presentations in EU PVSEC Parallel Events The 28th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition (EU PVSEC 2013) opened its doors on Monday, 30 September 2013, and is ready to welcome the global PV business and research community in Paris, France. The event takes place from 30 September to 04 October 2013 (Conference: 30 September to 04 October 2013 – Exhibition: 01 to 03 October 2013). This unique PV solar gathering constitutes the world’s leading science‐to‐science, business‐to‐business and science‐to‐industry forum for the global PV Solar sector. […] EU PVSEC 2013 Conference As Photovoltaic Solar Energy is becoming a major electricity source, the EU PVSEC 2013 extends its focus to application‐ and policy‐oriented topics with the inclusion of the related players. The EU PVSEC 2013 confirms its role as a driving force to provide new momentum to the further development of the PV solar sector. With 1,600 scientific, technical and market‐related Keynote, Plenary, Oral and Visual Presentations, the EU PVSEC 2013 is again the leading international Conference in Photovoltaics in 2013. The Conference Programme has been set‐up under the guidance of Technical Programme Chairman Dr. Arnulf Jäger‐Waldau, European Commission, DG Joint Research Centre and covers the entire scope of Photovoltaics. It is structured along the following main topics: • Material Studies, New Concepts, Ultra‐High Efficiency and Space Technology • Wafer‐Based Silicon Solar Cells and Materials Technology • Thin Film Solar Cells • Components for PV Systems • PV Systems and Applications • PV – a Major Electricity Source EU PVSEC 2013 Exhibition The EU PVSEC Industry Exhibition represents the entire PV value chain, including manufacturers of PV production equipment, manufacturers of photovoltaic solar cells and modules, systems suppliers, companies and organisations specialised in project development, research institutes, finance and consultancy. While the current situation of overcapacity and consolidation in the PV industry is mirrored with fewer exhibitors than in previous years, the signals of a beginning recovery are being taken up. The leading technology innovators are on stage in Paris, showing confidence in globally recovering markets. The trend

reversal is reflected in recently announced additional production equipment for display on the show floor. The three‐day trade show of the PV and related industries attracts technology drivers from solar organisations around the world. EU PVSEC 2013 Parallel Events With 150 additional contributions, the Parallel Events complement the EU PVSEC Conference Programme and the PV Industry Exhibition. They provide a deep insight into specific topics along the most recent technology, market and business trends and address to global decision makers from industry, research, finance and politics. The EU PVSEC Parallel Events are realised with leading international organisations such as IRENA ‐ International Renewable Energy Agency, IEA ‐ International Energy Agency PVPS & SHC, EMIRI ‐ Energy Materials Industrial Research Initiative, EU PV TP ‐ European Photovoltaic Technology Platform, The European Technology Platform Photonics21, EPIA ‐ European Photovoltaic Industry Association, IPVEA ‐ International PV Equipment Association, EPIC ‐ European Photonics Industry Consortium. EU PVSEC 2014 > The EU PVSEC 2014 will take place from 22 – 25 September in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. 04_ Future events http://www.aie.eu/aie/page/Events Please don’t forget to take a look on the AIE website for future AIE meetings in 2013.

04‐01 ALL DIGITAL FORUM IN ITALY ‐ 4‐6 OCTOBRE 2013 ALL DIGITAL EXPOFORUM (a professional forum for installers and technicians) that will be held in the VICENZA FAIR, ITALY, FROM 4th TO 6th OCTOBER 2013. | www.alldigitalexpo.it European Digital installer meeting and conference: AIE participation and presentation by Evelyne Schellekens. 04‐02 FENIE ANNUAL EXHIBITION IN MALLORCA ‐ 23‐25 OCTOBRE 2013 FENIE will celebrate his Annual Exhibition in October (23 – 25/10/2013) in Mallorca during which they will have some round tables focused in these topics: ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐

Renewable Innovation in energy efficiency Smart house and energy saving Internationalization Smart metering

> More information in: http://www.fenie.es/proximas‐actividades.html (under second topic ‘XVI Congreso de FENIE’) Do not hesitate to contact tecnicos@fenie.es (Erika Simón and Javier Dominguez) for more practical information.

04‐03 SAVE THE DATE(S) 2014: > Light and Building 2014 | Frankfurt – 30.3 – .4.2014

Light+Building is the world’s biggest trade fair for lighting and building‐services technology and presents solutions that cut the energy consumption of a building at the same time as increasing the level of comfort. At the fair, everything is represented, from LED technology, via photovoltaic and electro‐mobility, to intelligent electricity usages with smart metering and smart grids. Thanks to the combination of lighting and networked building‐services technology, the companies can present an integrated spectrum of products and services that make a decisive contribution to exploiting the energy‐saving potential of buildings to the full. The main theme at Light+Building is energy efficiency. > More info: http://light‐building.messefrankfurt.com/frankfurt/en/besucher/willkommen.html

> EuroSkills 2014 Lille | France – 2‐4.10.2014 Preparations have started in the French city of Lille for the EuroSkills 2014 competition scheduled to take place from 2 to 4 October 2014! More info on: http://www.euroskills.org The AIE delegates unanimously approved during the EU Installers Summit at their statutory meeting to join WorldSkills Europe [WSE] as ‘associate member’ and to integrate the AIE CYE in the WorldSkills Europe competition framework. Contact the AIE Secretariat (info@aie.eu) or the WorldSkills Europe secretariat General Secretary Thom ter Stege at (terstege@euroskills.org) should you wish contact details on your national Skills team.

> More event news? Double check: Other European events

05_ Publications – check new AIE and related publications at our library on ISSUU 05‐01 PUBLICATION OF BEST PRACTICES INSTALL+RES: A SUCCESSFUL EUROPEAN PROJECT ‐ QUALIFICATION OF TRAINERS AND INSTALLERS OF RES SYSTEMS IN BUILDINGS This report has been developed in the framework of the European project 'Install+Res'. The aim of the 'Install+RES' project was to establish training courses for trainers and installers of small‐scale Renewable Energy Systems (RES) in buildings, namely, photovoltaic, solar thermal, heat pumps and biomass systems in Germany, Poland, Italy, Slovenia, Bulgaria and Greece. The report is intended to give guidelines and recommendations to the course training providers on how to implement the Install+RES courses. This report presents the experiences and results of the Install+RES project which has successfully developed a qualification scheme and implemented training courses for installers of small scale Renewable Energy Systems following European Standards. The report also serves as a reference to all the training providers willing to replicate the training courses in their own centres. > Web references: http://www.resinstaller.eu/en http://www.resinstaller.eu/en/for‐installers http://www.resinstaller.eu/en/training‐material http://www.resinstaller.eu/en/publications Direct download via our ISSUU Library: http://issuu.com/aie_eur_electrical_contractors/docs/best_practices European Association of Electrical Contractors “ELECTRICITY SURROUNDS US – TOUCHES EVERY ONE OF US, EVERY DAY, EVERYWHERE. Who we are: The AIE – the European Association of electrical contracting companies - represents through its 20 national member associations about 175,000 specialist contracting companies employing about 1,000,000 workers in the EU-countries and beyond. The AIE represents companies from all sizes, the big majors and a majority of small and medium size enterprises [SME]. AIE member companies have an in-depth knowledge and high-quality expert skills to carry out all kind of electrical engineering and infrastructure works [high, medium and low voltage]. The overall turnover of the sector is approximately 75 billion Euros. Monitoring the EU agenda/Directives relevant for the electrical sector, the AIE points out the key strategies and main priorities for the modern electrical contractor. With the increasing complexity of technical installations, the private consumer and house owners are becoming more and more dependent on the knowledge and creativity of the electrical contractor. He is an expert adviser who is able to explain to the client the possibilities and advantages of new technology in a technical and environmental way. Kindly visit our website: www.aie.eu or contact us at info@aie.eu.

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