Analysis of Feed-in and Tradable Green Certificates (TGC) support mechanisms for renewable energy in Europe <Report>

After a short overview of the consistent development of renewable energies in the EU, this paper analyses the two main incentive schemes, FEED-IN and Tradable Green Certificates (TGC) mechanisms, adopted to stimulate the diffusion of "clean energy" in the European Union. In the first chapters, a brief description of these instruments is provided and considerations about positive and negative aspects with also suggestions to improve the systems are presented. The last part is dedicated to the assessment of these policies, by means of an analysis of their effectiveness, economic efficiency and expected revenues and profits for investors. In addition, the reasons why the FEED-IN system is more successful than the TGC one are illustrated, and general characteristics of a credible incentive system are presented.