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Future Energy Source
In its attempt to provide sustainable and alternative renewable resources, where is the EU heading?
With a world population projected to grow toward nine billion by the middle of the century, the need for an adequate supply of affordable, accessible, and sustainable energy is the overarching issue of the 21st century. In this vain, The Beginner asked its readers, which source of energy EU governments should priorities in order to ensure energy security in the future.
An overwhelming majority - 74% - voted for renewables, while 17% believed a mix of all sources should be the way forward to guarantee future energy security and only 9% thought governments should priorities gas. None of the respondents voted for coal or nuclear energy as secure enough for the future source.
The need to ensure energy security was highlighted when Russia stopped the flow of gas into the Ukraine in 2006 and into Belarus in 2007. Both countries act as transit states for many European countries, and Russia’s whims limited the supplies far beyond the borders of the two directly affected countries. The EU reacted with a new Energy Plan for Europe (EPE) in April 2007, but the problem was not solved and Russia once again stopped the flow of gas to the Ukraine in 2009 and Belarus in 2010, significantly reducing the supply to 18 EU states.
In 2009 an EU-US Energy Council was established to strengthen co-operation on energy security and supply, and in November 2010 the EU adopted the Energy 2020 initiative. The Communication issued to explain the initiative states that challenges for creating and protecting energy sources must be tackled and reliable partners must be ensured. In essence the EU hopes to negotiate energy more effectively as a united bloc, while diversifying supply and promoting competition to ensure security and sustainability of energy supplies.
Negotiating a Common Energy Policy along these lines has, however, proven to be difficult as each country has different energy priorities and combinations of energy sources. Member States have also shown varying commitment to cleaner fuels and lower carbon emissions.
At a summit in March 2007, the European Council agreed to a binding 20% target for the use of renewable energy by 2020. This too has shown not to be enough and in December 2011, Europe's energy chief, Günther Oettinger, to say that new renewable energy targets that go beyond 2020 must be negotiated within the next two years. He stated that new targets were needed for 2030 to enable businesses to plan ahead, as the current targets to produce 20% of Europe's energy from renewable sources run out in 2020.
As with all matters going beyond national boundaries time is both necessary and priceless. It is needed to ensure that debates and a lack of immediate accord on the European level do not endanger the society’s reliance on energy in the future.