Latest news
German government agreed on a temporary ban for shale gas
Germany is probable to have important reserve deposits and is at the forefront of the shale gas disputes in Europe. Public concerns and the conclusions of studies on hydraulic fracturing, as well as stalled legislation going into the federal elections, have slowed the pace of shale gas exploration, but Germany's nuclear phase-out will create a need for energy from other sources.
read more... 15/11/2013
Germany's dependence on coal to continue for a long time
Germany intends to reduce reliance on imported oil and has started the phase-out of aging nuclear power stations, meanwhile the German government has adopted a target of achieving 20% of the country's energy share from renewable sources by 2020.
read more... 11/07/2013
Energy Policy Objectives in Belgium
- to phase-out the nuclear energy (between 2015 and 2025) - to reorganize the electricity and gas markets (in Flanders, electricity and gas markets are fully liberalized since July 2003) - to implement the Federal Plan for Sustainable Development, in the context of the "Law concerning the coordination of the federal policy on sustainable development" (May 5, 1997), a new version of the plan for 2004-2008 has been elaborated. - to implement the National Climate Plan 2002-2012, signed in 2002, by both the federal and regional governments responsible for environment, energy and transport, measures to be taken at either the federal or the regional levels. FLANDERS: - to encourage the efficient use of energy (to reduce the consumption of energy in the residential sector and to increase energy efficiency in industry and the service sector) - to provide the greatest energy services at adequate prices for all social groups, through regulation of electricity and gas markets - to augment energy production through the use of renewable energy WALLONIA: Walloon Plan for Sustainable Mastery of Energy (2003) - to reduce the final consumption by 6% by 2010 - to modify behavior through increased public consciousness of energy matters - to develop the renewable energy sector - to regulate electricity and gas markets, to discuss and evaluate policies - to encourage the efficient use of energy in buildings, industry and services - Decree of 1 March 2012 (Wallonia). The objective of the Walloon Government is to achieve 20% of renewable energy by 2020 and 100% by 2050. The Walloon government will require energy suppliers an higher annual percentage of green certificates. Currently it is 15.75% and gradually it will reach 30.4% in 2016 and 37.9% in 2020, an annual increase of 3.65%. BRUSSELS-CAPITAL: - to increase public awareness of the efficient use of energy - to establish a support system for renewable and other energy projects - to offer finance education and other support to the tertiary sector (as well as public authorities) - to develop administrative tools for building developers on the energy performance on buildings Source: Energy Market Price – Belgium Energy Statistics Report
read more... 13/06/2013
Germany installed 2.4GW new wind power capacity in 2012
Last year Germany installed about 2.4 GW of new wind power capacity with the nation reaching a total capacity of 31.3GW. Germany is investing in clean energy as it intends to phase-out nuclear power. It plans also to build offshore wind farms covering an area as much as six times the size of New York City and increase the renewable-energy production to about 40 %of total power production by 2020, in comparison to about 25%of now.
read more... 31/01/2013
Switzerland to vote on nuclear phase-out
Currently Switzerland has 5 nuclear reactors which generates 40% of its electricity, but an initiative submitted by the Green Party to phase-out nuclear energy by 2029 has secured enough support for a national referendum, as the Swiss Federal Chancellery has announced that 107,533 of the 108,227 signatures presented in a petition in November are valid.
read more... 24/01/2013