This week saw the European Commission publish its plan to meet its target of reducing emissions by 80-95% by 2050, compared with 1990 levels. EU member countries are committed to reducing emissions by 20% by 2020, and are targeting an increase in the share of renewable energy to 20% and achieving an energy efficiency of [...]

308 new offshore wind turbines were installed in the EU in 2010 – an increase of 51%  in wind power capacity from 2009, making it a new record for annual growth of offshore wind power in Europe. These figures were published by the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) in its “European offshore wind industry – [...]

Next week, EU heads of government will discuss the Union’s future energy policy. The proposal that the commission has put forward will mean, according to the Swedish energy minister, Maud Olofsson, that the Swedish taxpayers may be forced to pay for new electricity network. The EU Commission’s proposal states that the EU’s future energy portfolio [...]

EU commissioner for energy, Gunther Oettinger, while speaking in advance of next week’s summit of EU leaders, detailed a five-point ‘action plan’ for energy. The plan includes a more substantial commitment to reducing energy consumption, a point which has become ever more pressing given that worldwide demand for energy is set to rise by 30% [...]

European consultancy group, Capgemini, has stated in its most recent report on Europe’s energy markets, that the European Union will have major difficulties in achieving its target of employing 20% renewable energy by 2020. Despite the strong growth of renewable energies in 2009, with a 15% increase in wind and a 53% increase in solar, [...]

A new EU study has shown that as the EU develops its plans to use more and more biofuels, 69,000 square miles of additional land will be required, worldwide. As biofuel crops are grown on agricultural land, farmers are having to seek additional land for their crops, often by cutting down rainforests. Therefore the cultivation [...]

European Energy Commissioner, Guenther Oettinger called for investments to the amount of EUR1tn for new grids and power stations. The plan will focus on boosting renewable technologies such as building CO2 storages for coal-fired power plants and new grids for wind and solar energy. According to the newspaper “Handelsblatt”, however the question is whether the [...]

On October 7, 2010, Jeffrey Bartash, Journalist for MARKETWATCH reported that John Rice, vice chairman of GE (GE, US), said that Western governments were creating too many obstacles that prevent companies from innovating and creating jobs, adding that It was a known fact that barriers that slow down innovation need to disapear.  This is a reality that affect [...]