Ambitious Renewable Targets

The European Commission has proposed ambitious targets to boost the overall consumption of renewable energies to 20% by 2020.

This will result in a major increase in the use of wind, hydro and solar power to increase the levels of use up from the current share of 8.5%. A separate target to increase biofuel use to 10% of transport fuel consumption is also to be achieved by every country.

If achieved Europe will see savings of 600 to 900 million tonnes of CO2 emissions and reductions in fossil fuel consumption of 200 to 300 million each year.

“It is worth reflecting on the level of ambition that this 20% target represents,” said Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs during a speech at the EU Energy and Environment Law and Policy Conference.

“Excluding large and medium-sized hydro electricity and biomass, all the efforts that EU countries have taken over the last decade to promote renewable energy, notably wine, solar and PV, has shifted the share of renewables in the EU’s overall energy mix from 7% to approximately 8.5%. So in other words, to achieve the 20% target, the EU will need to install the same capacity of renewable energy that it has done in the last 10 years every single year for the next 12 years.”

He added: “This is indeed ambitious, but it can be done. We know this seeing what Denmark, Germany and Spain have achieved in recent years. And at the end of the day the point is this: if we are serious about the 20% greenhouse gas reduction, if we are serious that we wish to increase our energy security, we have no option but to do this.”

Individual member governments will be called on to take action, coordinated by the EU to ensure that the burden is fairly spread. Targets will be binding but will take account of national capacities. Funding, mostly in the form of tax-breaks will also be available to help fund schemes.

But local authorities already struggling to meet other Environmental targets such as recycling levels and the EU landfill directive could find this extra challenge hard to achieve.

The following is a link to the full speech by Andris Piebalgs:

http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=SPEECH/09/18&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

Visit http://ec.europa.eu/energy/renewables/index_en.htm for more information on the European Commission’s renewable energy plans.

Last Updated: 06/02/2009 06:52:58 By Charlotte Jacques