Let wind keep the lights on

At a time when fossil fuel prices are spiralling and serious questions are being raised over the cost and safety of nuclear power plants, wind energy is considered more widely than ever to be a key part of the answer to the threat of irreversible climate change, believes Christian Kjaer, CEO of the European wind Energy Association (EWEA).

The latest edition of the EWEA ‘Pure Power’ survey of the state of the industry shows the huge contribution wind energy makes – and will increasingly make – to meeting Europe’s electricity demand, to strengthening its economy, and to avoiding polluting and costly fuel and carbon, according to Kjaer, writing in the foreword to the report, published this week.

As the survey highlights, wind energy currently meets 5.3 per cent of the EU’s electricity consumption from an installed capacity of 84.3 GW.

The EWEA’s scenarios show this is set to increase dramatically, and that wind energy in 2020 should meet 15.7 per cent of EU electricity demand from 230 GW of installed capacity, and by 2030, 28.5 per cent from 400 GW.

Indeed, EWEA believes wind energy can provide half of Europe’s electricity by 2050, with the remainder coming from other renewable sources such as solar. Connie Hedegaard, European Commissioner for Climate Action agrees with this assessment. “Talking about the electricity sector, then I think by 2050 we'll have 100 per cent renewables in Europe. I think that is perfectly doable,” she told delegates at EWEA’s conference in March this year.

But to ensure the continued buoyancy of the wind energy sector and the path to 100 percent electricity from renewable sources in 2050, EU renewables legislation is needed now for the period after 2020, according to EWEA.

Kjaer says this should follow the successful rules so far, by setting an ambitious, binding renewables target for 2030. Such a target would take the EU from 19 per cent renewable electricity today, to an expected 34 per cent in 2020, and to 100 per cent renewable electricity by 2050.

Investing in the grid

In addition to post-2020 legislation, investment is urgently needed in electricity infrastructure in order to transport large amounts of wind energy from where it is produced to where it is consumed, and to create a single electricity market in the EU.

Issues such as funding for research must also be tackled, Kjaer says. As wind energy grows year on year, so do its benefits for the EU. Jobs are created, a world-leading European industry is strengthened, carbon emissions and fuel imports are avoided.

The European Commission released its, “Roadmap to a low carbon society” in March, outlining the need for a “fully decarbonised power sector” by 2050. But, says Kjaer, the need for action is much more immediate than EU leaders realise. Since the transport and agriculture sectors will still emit carbon in 2050, the power sector must be at zero carbon by then.

This requires immediate action. Because fossil fuel power plants run for 30 to 45 years, investment decisions taken today will determine the energy mix and carbon emissions in 2050. So to achieve a carbon-free power sector by 2050, in theory no new carbon-emitting power plants should be built after 2015, according to Kjaer.

In summary, the proven success of the EU regulatory framework for renewables since 1997 demonstrates that the most effective post-2020 regulatory framework to be a binding 2030 renewable energy target.

This would give the power sector a vital stepping stone, taking it from 19 percent renewable electricity in 2010, to 34 per cent in 2020, and to 100 per cent renewable electricity by 2050, with wind energy contributing 50 per cent.