- Europe can be role model for renewable energy at United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris 2015
By Thomas Becker The economic and political winds of change for Europe’s energy security are in full flow. With Ukraine on the brink of civil war and an IPCC report calling on the world’s governments to invest in renewables immediately, Europe’s policymakers face a dilemma that cannot be solve…
- 6 May 14, 3:46pm -
- “Subsidies to renewables are the most transparent and visible”
By Zoë Casey From direct government support to tax breaks and the cost of negative externalities like pollution, subsidies to the power sector take many different – and often hidden – forms. In fact, the exact definition of a subsidy was the crux of an at times heated debate “subsidies to the…
- 2 May 14, 12:39pm -
- France: wind energy solution in energy transition
France may be the world’s most nuclear energy dependent country, but times are changing. When French President François Hollande took the reins of power in 2012 he pledged to reduce the country’s nuclear dependency from 75% to 50% by 2025. Today, France has a goal of reaching 19 GW of wind ener…
- 25 Apr 14, 10:56am -
- IPCC: fossil fuels out, renewables in to tackle global warming
Switching from fossil fuels to renewable energy and energy efficiency measures in the coming decades is the International Panel for Climate Change’s (IPCC) recommendation in its latest report. This change is “affordable”, says the IPCC: it would knock only 0.06% off expected annual economic gr…
- 14 Apr 14, 3:19pm -
- Do wind farms really send house prices down?
The debate about wind turbines and property prices blows on, pushed back into the headlines every so often by a gust from a new study or piece of research. The latest studies on the subject, from the UK, contradict each other: a study from the London School of Economics purports to show that wind fa…
- 9 Apr 14, 12:11pm -
- EWEA 2014: the event round-up
New markets, technological breakthroughs and an end to political uncertainty – that’s just three of the advances the wind energy sector is expecting in the coming years, revealed industry leaders at the EWEA 2014 Annual Event in Barcelona. “We will see advanced technology that is subsidy free,…
- 13 Mar 14, 3:02pm -
- Water used for EU power production equivalent to annual consumption of Germany
Nuclear, coal and gas plants in Europe use 4.5 billion m³ of water a year, equivalent to that of 82 million EU citizens – the same as the population of Germany – new research shows. Energy production represents 44% of the EU’s total water use: more than any other activity. Yet wind energy, wh…
- 13 Mar 14, 12:43pm -
- Cost reduction is one of the biggest challenges facing wind sector, says Allianz renewables chief
Cost reduction is the one of the biggest challenges facing the wind energy industry today, according to Dave Jones, head of renewable energy at Allianz Capital Partners. Speaking in a conference session on ´finding new growth opportunities´ at EWEA´s annual event in Barcelona, Jones said that red…
- 12 Mar 14, 2:39pm -
- “Fossil fuel subsidies distort the market”
Executive Director of the International Energy Agency, Maria van der Hoeven, talked to Sarah Azau at EWEA 2014 Annual Event in Barcelona about power markets, subsidies and the Crimea. Will the Crimean situation make a difference to our relationship with Russian gas? Or are we simply too dependent on…
- 12 Mar 14, 8:53am -
- Wind energy is a “massive new paradigm of employment”
Wind energy can create hundreds of jobs as part of a new climate change-aware world, said Eddie O’Connor, founder and CEO of Mainstream Renewables. O’Connor described this point in time as a “massive opportunity to go entirely renewable.” He was referring to today’s threat of rising sea le…
- 11 Mar 14, 4:05pm -
- Where will wind energy be in 2020?
In five or six years’ time, the wind energy sector will see an end to regulatory uncertainty, increasing levels of consolidation within the industry and leaps ahead in technology – said CEOs speaking at EWEA 2014 in Barcelona today. We will see “advanced technology that is subsidy free,” sai…
- 11 Mar 14, 1:47pm -
- “I was the biggest polluter in Ireland”
Eddie O’Connor, Irish wind energy entrepreneur and visionary – and winner of this year’s Poul la Cour prize for excellence in the field of wind energy – spoke to Sarah Azau at EWEA 2014 in Barcelona about his career so far, why climate change drives him in all he does, how to bring offshore…
- 10 Mar 14, 5:29pm -
- Top wind industry award goes to Mainstream chief Eddie O’Connor
The wind energy industry’s prestigious Poul la Cour prize was awarded this afternoon to Airtricity and Mainstream Renewable Power founder Eddie O’Connor. “This year, the award goes to someone who is a very rare breed: both a visionary and a businessman”, commented the president of the Europe…
- 10 Mar 14, 5:15pm -
- IEA executive director: “We welcome a renewables target for 2030”
The International Energy Agency (IEA) supports an EU renewable energy target for 2030 – this would reduce policy risk and so “bring down costs and put us on the path we want to be on”, stated Maria van der Hoeven, executive director of the IEA today at the European Wind Energy Association’s…
- 10 Mar 14, 2:51pm -
- EWEA 2014 opens its doors in Barcelona
The months of anticipation are finally over – EWEA 2014 opens its doors for business in Barcelona this afternoon! Headlining later today at the opening session will be Artur Trindade, Portuguese Secretary of State for Energy, Maria van der Hoeven, Executive Director at the International Energy Age…
- 10 Mar 14, 9:23am -
- Wind energy’s triumph in Spain is being ignored by the government
In 2013 wind power was the leading source of electricity in Spain, but wind energy is facing huge regulatory hurdles – the latest of which will be discussed in detail at EWEA 2014 in Barcelona on Wednesday 12 March. We spoke to Jaume Margarit Roset, Director General of the association of renewable…
- 10 Mar 14, 8:27am -
- Ninety percent of Europeans want 2030 renewable energy target, EC poll shows
Ninety percent of Europeans say their governments must set targets to increase the amount of renewables in the energy mix by 2030, according to a survey by Eurobarometer – the European Commission’s polling service. In a special report gauging public opinion on climate change, the European Commis…
- 6 Mar 14, 2:14pm -
- Wind turbines produce high energy outputs for 25 years, study finds
Wind turbines are proving they can operate effectively for 25 years. That means a single wind turbine has a lifespan similar to that of solar panels and gas turbines, and nearly one-third that of human beings. An Imperial College Business school study found that Britain’s oldest onshore turbines g…
- 5 Mar 14, 11:39am -
- Wind energy is Spain’s number one electricity provider
In 2013 Spain achieved a world first – it became the only country in the world where wind energy was the leading electricity supplier over a whole year. The Spanish electricity system operator, Red Eléctrica de España (REE), reported that wind powered electricity met 20.9% of the country’s pow…
- 3 Mar 14, 3:03pm -
- One thousand European cities call for 30% renewables target
Over 1000 European cities have written a joint letter to European Council president Herman Van Rompuy to call for a 30% renewable energy target for 2030, alongside a 40% energy efficiency target. On 22 January, the European Commission proposed a 40% greenhouse gas reduction target and a 27% renewabl…
- 24 Feb 14, 12:58pm -
- Future of Europe’s energy discussed by industry leaders at 2030 EuropeBusiness press conference
CEOs of six leading European energy companies voiced their support for a strong 2030 climate and energy framework at a EuropeBusiness press conference on Wednesday 12 February. As stated in a EuropeBusiness press release, the CEOs requested EU Heads of State to follow in the footsteps of the Europea…
- 18 Feb 14, 9:42am -
- Energy prices have limited impact on competitiveness
Energy prices have only minimal impact on Europe’s economic competitiveness, new research reveals. While some commentators have used the need to stay competitive as an argument against a strong 2030 climate and energy framework, this research shows that Europe’s competitiveness depends more on i…
- 13 Feb 14, 10:48am -
- Is Europe’s energy policy undermining its competitiveness?
– Renewable energy CEOs discuss with journalists – Wednesday 12 February 2014, 10:30-12:00 plus lunch, Brussels – Press member? Register now by contacting Sarah Azau: sarah.azau@ewea.org Two weeks after the Commission disappointed the renewable energy industry and environmentalists with its w…
- 6 Feb 14, 2:36pm -
- Energy a hot topic in the media following Commission’s 2030 framework proposal
Last week, the European Commission released its communication on a 2030 climate and energy framework including targets, initiating a dramatic spike in both positive and negative media coverage of the question. The Commission’s proposed targets have created some controversy because, while they wo…
- 3 Feb 14, 10:06am -
- An industry-wide gathering: EWEA 2014 Annual Event approaching
EWEA expects thousands of people from all across the wind energy industry to attend its upcoming Annual Event, which it will be hosting at the Fira de Barcelona Gran Via from 10-13 March. The EWEA 2014 Annual Event consists of three main components: a conference, an exhibition and networking. Bet…
- 27 Jan 14, 10:28am -
- New EU funding available for the growing wind power industry
Interest in the ambitious EU research programme Horizon 2020, which begins in January and is open to different aspects of the wind power sector, continued to build last week in Brussels during a seminar organised by EWEA. The seminar for EWEA members was held after the European Commission presented…
- 17 Dec 13, 3:47pm -
- EU offshore wind has a bright future, EWEA conference track chairs agree
The next two years will be critical to further establishing and expanding the European offshore wind sector, especially in Britain and Germany, one of the track chairs at the recent offshore conference in Frankfurt said earlier this week. Dima Rifai, CEO of Paradigm Change Capital Partners in the UK…
- 17 Dec 13, 8:18am -
- 2030 renewables target: Germany gets on board
The issue of 2030 renewable energy and climate targets – will we have them? How many? – has been gathering momentum in the press and media lately. The upcoming proposal from the European Commission – due out on 22 January – will be discussed by Heads of State in March or June, who will then…
- 10 Dec 13, 8:38am -
- UN conference overlooks the rising power of wind and other renewables
Another annual United Nations conference on climate change has ended and international negotiators once again failed to agree to a new treaty on reducing global greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels. Countries gathering the past two weeks in Warsaw made earnest speeches, said they under…
- 26 Nov 13, 4:20pm -
- Floating offshore wind turbines could drive Japan’s green energy future
Less than three years after the disaster at a nuclear power plant in Fukushima, a hotly-anticipated floating offshore wind turbine began operating 20 kilometres from the damaged site on Monday. A number of news organisations reported that Yuhei Sato, governor of Fukushima, said that the floating tur…
- 13 Nov 13, 5:14pm -
- Wind power could provide up to 18% of global electricity demand by 2050
Wind generation now meets a significant percentage of electrical demand globally and last year the world added a record 44.8 gigawatts (GW) of wind power, bringing the total to more than 282.5 GW, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). In its annual report for 2012, the IEA said that…
- 28 Oct 13, 5:49pm -
- Campaign replaces fiction with facts
Think wind turbines cost too much taxpayer money? That the wind farm planned for the neighbourhood will bring down your house price? That you won’t be able to sleep for the noise? The ‘Act on Facts’ campaign launched by Vestas in Australia in June 2013 and today, 24 October in Sweden, puts the…
- 24 Oct 13, 4:23pm -
- IPCC: fossil fuels must remain in ground to avoid climate catastrophe
Significant, concerted action is now required to stop the continued growth of toxic greenhouse gases caused by burning fossil fuels, says the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report on global warming. Atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gase…
- 1 Oct 13, 9:18am -
- Bird charity proposes wind turbine at its UK headquarters
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), the UK’s largest nature conservation charity, is to install a wind turbine at its headquarters. An RSPB press release said the organisation believes renewable energy is an essential tool in the fight against climate change, which poses the sing…
- 25 Sep 13, 4:26pm -
- Jobs in UK wind energy climb by 70% in three years
The number of people working in the UK wind industry has risen to 9,900 up from 6,600 by 2010 – a climb of 70% – new research shows. “When indirect employment is included, the report shows a total of 34,300 people rely on industries that barely existed a decade ago, a figure that researchers s…
- 19 Sep 13, 11:35am -
- 67% of Brits favour local wind farms
More than two-thirds of UK citizens support building more wind farms in their immediate areas. The poll, conducted by market research agency ComRes, also shows that only 33% of people support fracking in their area while just 31% of people support nuclear power. “The opinion poll shows that a mass…
- 11 Sep 13, 4:50pm -
- Romanian monks turn to wind energy
You could call Father Iustin a pioneer. He installed a wind turbine long before the hundreds that you can now see from this hill appeared. He was the first monk in the Constanța region to power his monastery with renewable technology and now he gladly advises other monasteries to do the same. “I…
- 26 Aug 13, 9:00am -
- IKEA ups its wind energy investments
The announced purchase last week of an Irish wind farm by IKEA is just the latest indication that the world’s biggest home furniture company may succeed in its stated aim of becoming totally energy independent by 2020. IKEA has agreed to buy from Mainstream Renewable Power its 7.65 megawatt Carric…
- 22 Aug 13, 4:38pm -
- Hitting the jackpot with wind energy in Poland
“We feel like we’ve won the lottery.” Mirosława and Mieczysław Horodiuk sit on a couch in their living room, their aged cat stares through the window. Here in Kończewo in north western Poland a late spring snow has fallen, delaying the spring planting for this farming family. They rest easy…
- 19 Aug 13, 9:00am -
- U.S. government says ‘consistent policy’ key to wind energy growth
The wind industry is the fastest-growing source of power in the United States and employs over 80,000 American workers, two new government studies show. “The tremendous growth in the U.S. wind industry over the past few years underscores the importance of consistent policy that ensures America rem…
- 13 Aug 13, 3:17pm -
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