Highlights the importance of taking into account the differences between micro, small and large producers; notes the need to develop suitable conditions and tools for ‘prosumers’ (active energy consumers, such as households, both owners and tenants, institutions and small businesses that engage in renewable energy production either on their own or collectively through cooperatives, other social enterprises or aggregations) to contribute to energy transition and facilitate their integration into the energy market; recommends reducing to an absolute minimum the administrative barriers to new self-generation capacity, in particular by removing market and grid access restrictions; suggests shortening and simplifying authorisation procedures ...[+++]by moving to a simple notification requirement; suggests that the revision of the renewable energy directive could include specific provisions to remove barriers and promote community/cooperative energy schemes via ‘one-stop shops’ dealing with project permits and providing financial and technical expertise; encourages the Member States to make use of de minimis exemptions under the European Energy and Environment State Aid Guidelines, so that small and medium-sized projects continue to benefit from dynamic feed in tariffs, exempting them from complex auctioning processes.

When we talk about an energy strategy, the environmental impacts of energy consumption and production need to be part of that strategy.

When will the Conservatives stop blindly backing risky pipelines and instead commit to an energy strategy that puts Canadian jobs and the environment first?

Under the leadership and guidance of Senator Angus, the Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources took the initiative of creating a special stand-alone website for our report on a Canadian energy strategy in order to highlight that in the minds of Canadians and give them the chance to see what we are doing and, more important, to give them the chance to tell us what we should be doing and to respond and react to what we are doing.

Given the considerable efforts necessary to combat climate change and to adapt to its inevitable effects, it is appropriate that at least 50 % of the proceeds from the auctioning of allowances should be used to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to adapt to the impacts of climate change, to fund research and development for reducing emissions and adaptation, to develop renewable energies to meet the Union’s commitment to using 20 % renewable energies by 2020, to meet the commitment of the Community to increase energy efficiency by 20 % by 2020, to provide for the environmentally safe capture and geological storage of greenhouse gases, to c ...[+++]ontribute to the Global Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Fund and to the Adaptation Fund as made operational by the Poznan Conference on Climate Change (COP 14 and COP/MOP 4), to provide for measures to avoid deforestation and facilitate adaptation in developing countries, and to address social aspects such as possible increases in electricity prices in lower and middle income households.

The third pillar, on which the energy strategy rests, is the relationship between energy and environment.