Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Goals for 2020 according to the SET plan

According to the Strategic Energy Technology Plan the contribution in 2020 in electricity and energy should be:
1. Electricity
- Wind: 20%
- Solar : PV 12%
- Solar: Concentrating Solar Power (CSP): 3% -- 10% in 2030
- Nuclear: currently responsible for 30% of EU electricity.

2. Energy
- Bioenergy: 14% bioenergy in the EU energy mix by 2020, and at the same time to guarantee greenhouse gas(GHG) emission savings of 60% for bio-fuels and bio-liquids under the sustainability criteria of the new RES Directive.

Electricity grid: enable the transmission and distribution of up to 35% of electricity from dispersed and concentrated renewable sources by 2020 and a completely decarbonised electricity production by 2050.

Carbon capture and storage commercially feasible by 2020.

Energy efficiency: 40% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions through sustainable use and production of energy in 2020.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

European Commission defines 6 sectors in clean energy

From Reuters:
Strategic Energy Technology Plan
WIND ENERGY
The windpower industry needs 6 billion euros for research over the next decade. It must reduce costs faster and build more wind farms offshore where the wind is more reliable.
This will require up to 10 new testing facilities for turbine components, up to 10 demonstration projects of next generation turbines and at least 5 prototypes of offshore substructures.
The goal is fully competitive wind power capable of contributing up to 20 percent of EU electricity by 2020 and a third by 2030. Over 250,000 jobs could be created.
SOLAR POWER
The overall solar sector needs 16 billion euros for research over the next decade.
The photovoltaic sector must reduce costs and speed up manufacturing. This will require up to 5 pilot plants for automated mass production and several demonstration projects for both decentralized and centralized power production.
The concentrated solar power sector must reduce costs, improve system efficiency and develop storage systems. Up to 10 large "first of a kind" power plants must be built.
The programme envisages that up to 15 percent of EU electricity could be generated by solar power in 2020. Over 200,000 skilled jobs could be created.
POWER GRID
Electricity networks need 2 billion euros of research funds over the next decade.
The focus will be on building "smart grids" that can balance the fluctuating supply of electricity from renewable energy sources with fluctuating consumption by EU citizens. Up to 20 real-life scale demonstration projects will be needed.
The goal is that by 2020, half of networks in Europe would allow the seamless integration of renewable energy.
SMART CITIES
Smart cities will glean renewable energy from the sun and wind and from their own waste, feeding it into the electricity network and to trams and cars.
Between 25 and 30 pioneer cities will transform their buildings, energy networks and transport systems. The initiative will need 11 billion euros over the next decade.
BIOENERGY
The sector needs 9 billion euros for research over the next decade and must demonstrate technology at greater scale.
Up to 30 such plants will be needed across Europe in differing geographical and climate conditions.
By 2020, the contribution to the EU energy mix from cost-competitive, sustainable bioenergy could be at least 14 percent. More than 200,000 jobs could be created.
CLEAN COAL
The European Union has laid out plans to have 12 Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) pilot plants up and running by 2015.
The CCS sector needs to spend 13 billion euros on research over the next decade. The target is to reduce the cost of CCS to 30-50 euros per tonne of carbon dioxide (CO2) captured by 2020, making it cost-effective within a carbon pricing environment.
NUCLEAR
The industry will have to move toward a new generation of reactor type -- the so-called Generation-IV nuclear reactor, which will not be commercially delayed until 2040.
Solutions for nuclear waste must be identified. Around 7 billion euros must be spent on research over the next decade.



My comments on this are:
1. Where is energy efficiency?
2. What bioenergy is the EC talking about?
3. Various european state members are thinking of decommissioning old nuclear power plants and abandon nuclear power. How does nuclear contributes to the energy plan?