Europe

EU-25 faces several significant challenges on the energy front. The wind industry works hard to meet them.

 

20% renewable energy in 2020

The European vision of the wind industry is for EU to increase the amount of renewable energy to at least 20% of the gross energy consumption by 2020. This will increase European growth and security of supply.

 

A large share of renewable energy from domestic sources will have a positive influence on the European balance of payments. The direct effect is an import reduction of fossil fuels, the indirect effect is less vulnerability towards fluctuating energy prices and currency rates.

 

A joint EU energy policy with long term objectives will increase security of supply. Reports from the International Energy Agency and the EU Green Paper on security of supply predict a 2% increase per year in the European primary energy consumption until 2020. Over the same period, dependency of imported oil from the Middle East will increase from 50% to 70%, and dependency of Russian gas imports will increase from 75% to more than 90%.

 

Internal  electricity market

If renewable energy sources are to really penetrate the electricity market, then it must be possible to trade renewable electricity across borders within the EU. At the same time, we must make sure that renewable energy obtains a fair market advantage compared to conventional energy sources. Otherwise, it will be difficult to find investors willing to put their money in renewable energy production, and thereby assist the necessary technology transition from the conventional energy sources of the 19th and 20th century to the sustainable and renewable energy forms of the 21^st century. Unfortunately, there is not just one solution how to reach this point.

 

At the moment, the EU is working to create a common internal electricity market. But as the conventional power plants have the enormous benefit of being fully written off and paid from past subsidies, renewable energy has a special directive on increasing renewable energy in the electricity production. The directive states that the member countries individually can introduce schemes to promote renewable energy. In the future, the objective is common, harmonised regulations.

 

The European Wind Energy Association

The Danish Wind Industry Association works together with several wind energy associations in our European counterpart EWEA. The Danish Wind Industry Association and the large companies in the Danish industry are members of EWEA’s board and in this way influence the effort of the industry on the European level.

 

Related links

Go to European wind energy association (EWEA)

go to International Energy Agency