European commission focuses on renewable energy sources

Chemical Engineering Progress, May 2002

In early April, the European Commission proposed a four-year program,"Intelligent Energy for Europe" (2003-2006), that will continue the Commission's current energy framework program, scheduled to end this December. With a budget of 215 million euros (-$190 million), the program will implement a strategy outlined in a Nov. 2000 paper based on renewable energy sources (e.g., solar, wind, biomass) and energy savings. Currently, 5.6% of Europe's energy supply is generated by renewable sources. The program's goal is to more than double this figure to 12% by 2010. Another goal is to improve energy efficiency by 1 % per year.

This falls in line with the European Union's (EU) energy policy objectives, which are to improve supply security and combat climate change. By focusing on renewable energy sources, the EU will lessen its dependency on foreign imports. Should the EU decide to take no action, it would be importing over 70% of its energy by 2030.

Furthermore, the proposed program will enable the EU to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 8% in relation to the 1990 level. However, if nothing is done, projections made by the European Environment Agency indicate that the total emissions by the 15 EU member states should increase between 1990 and 2010.