By Martin Banks - 16th November 2009
The national action plans are crucial
Claude Turmes
A conference in Brussels has heard that further effort is "urgently" needed to ensure that renewable energy will be the mainstream source of Europe's energy supply by 2050.
EU energy commissioner Andris Piebalgs told the high-level event on Monday, organised by the European Renewable Energy Council (EREC), that he was "confident" renewables could account for a "tremendously significant" new energy sector.
His optimism was shared by Christopher Jones, director for new and renewable energy sources at the commission, who said that renewable energy could account for as much as 80 per cent of Europe's energy consumption by the middle of this century.
But Luxembourg Greens MEP Claude Turmes, a leading advocate of renewable energy, said such an optimistic outlook could only be achieved with "further" efforts by member states.
He told the European Renewable Energy Policy conference that so-called renewable energy national action plans had the capacity to deliver "concrete results" but that member states had to "speed up" implementation of these schemes. "The national action plans are crucial," he said.
Another keynote speaker at the event, Angus McCrone, editor of UK-based New Energy Finance, said, "The main reason for investing in renewables are security of energy supply and climate change. Without question, this will create jobs.
"But there is no point in kidding yourself that renewable energy alone can sort out the economic downturn."
Professor Arthouros Zervos, EREC president, said, "The renewable industry is providing more than 450,000 jobs and has an annual turnover exceeding €45bn.
"Renewable energy contributes to one quarter of the EU's 20 per cent greenhouse gas commitment and has reached a share of about 10 per cent of final energy consumption.
"I am convinced that the new renewable energy directive with its national binding targets for each member state will enable Europe to reach even more than the minimum target of 20 per cent by 2020.
"Renewable energy is the competitive advantage of Europe and the key to a sustainable 21st century economy.
"We have to make renewable energy the mainstream source of our energy system."
Peter Vis, deputy head of cabinet for Piebalgs, said the commission was "confident that the policy framework of renewable energy targets, carbon pricing and funding for R&D will lead to the development of a tremendously significant new energy sector."
The two-day conference, the third time it has been held, attracted 550 policymakers, representatives of the renewable energy sector, NGOs and scientists.
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