Reaching Energy Security in Europe through Renewables

For free

Meeting 100% of Europe’s electricity needs through renewable energy by 2050 is possible – if we succeed in pooling the potential of Europe’s renewable energy sources. This will require cooperation between EU member states, as well as coherent policies and regulation at the European level. Both currently exist only in fragmented form as energy policy in Europe is still shaped mainly at the national level. The Heinrich Böll Foundation therefore asked a number of experts to take stock of European policy in the sectors most important for the transition to renewable energy, to identify the areas in which European cooperation has been inadequate to date, and to propose possible solutions.

The Heinrich Böll Foundation asked a number of experts to take stock of European policy in the sectors most important for the transition to renewable energy, to identify the areas in which European cooperation has been inadequate to date, and to propose possible solutions.

In this publication two Polish experts, Grzegorz Wiśniewski and Dr. Zbigniew Karaczun, consider how the collective use of renewable energies by European countries in electric power generation can improve energy security in Europe.

The authors try to define the concept of energy security and check how is it currently understood in Poland. They oppose the idea, that it can be achieved by a business-as-usual, centralised energy grid and propose to focus on localised production of energy.

European Union has a role to play in this process, as it needs to shift its mindset from atomic energy coordination to using renewables to boost job creation, technological innovation and research funding.

Product details
Date of Publication
2011
Publisher
Heinrich Böll Foundation
Number of Pages
38
Licence
All rights reserved
Language of publication
English
ISBN / DOI
978-83-61340-84-3
Table of contents

Introduction 7
1. E nergy Security: Individual, local and regional factors in European energy security based on the use of renewable energy sources 9
by Grzegorz Wiśniewski
1.1. The need for a sustainable approach to energy security in energy-climate policy 10
1.2. American experiments with energy security 11
1.3. The concept of energy security in Poland so far 13
1.4. Difficulties with the centric approach to overcoming problems connected with improving energy security in Poland 15
1.5. The forgotten idea of local and regional energy security 19
1.6. Individual energy security 22
1.7. Tasks for the EU 24
2. T he European Union on the road to energy independence 26
by Zbigniew M. Karaczun
2.1. Introduction 26
2.2. Community energy security 27
2.3. Towards renewable energy sources 29
2.4. What does the EU need? 31
2.5. Conclusion 34
2.6. Acknowledgements 36