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EU moves to protect wildlife from wind turbines
The European Commission has issued guidelines on how to design wind farms so that they do not disturb birds and bats living in the EU's 'Natura 2000' network of protected sites.
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Wind energy sector buoyant despite downturn
With a smaller dependence on bank loans than other industries, the wind energy sector believes it will be among the first to emerge from the recession, the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) said at the opening of its annual conference yesterday (16 March).
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Wind market forecast predicts fair breeze ahead
A new five-year industry forecast has predicted a pick up in the wind energy market, with more than 40 GW of new capacity being added in 2011.
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Partisan battle turns green city grey
Copenhagen's ambitious plans to become Europe's first zero-carbon city by 2025 have been thrown into doubt by a party political row – and windmills look set to become the first victims.
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Microgeneration: Power to the people?
Households and neighbourhoods feeding small-scale electricity and heat into a decentralised European energy grid: this is the vision developed by proponents of microgeneration. Yet at present, the EU's energy system remains centralised and dominated by large power plants.
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Wind energy fans welcome Sarkozy plans but question timing
France announced yesterday (25 January) tenders for a €10 billion offshore wind project that will create 600 wind turbines capable of churning out 3,000 MW of energy. But environmentalists warn that more still needs to be done to meet the country's and the EU's 2020 targets.
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EU on track to meet 2020 renewables targets
Europe is set to beat its target of drawing 20% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020, according to an analysis of national action plans by the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA).
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Power firms, wind sector join calls for EU grid plan
A more coordinated approach to electricity grid planning is needed if Europe is to reap the benefits of large-scale investment in renewable energies, said large EU power firms and the wind sector in a joint statement yesterday (9 June).
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Alarm bells ring over Europe’s nuclear expansion
As Japan's nuclear crisis deepens, fears are growing within Europe's wind industry about European Commission plans to put nuclear power on a par with renewable energies in the post-2020 low-carbon environment.
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Wind sector keeps up pressure on EU over targets
The president of the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA), Arthuros Zervos, has called for the EU to adopt a binding renewable energy target of 30% for 2030.
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Wind and gas lobbyists scuffle over green claims
The head of the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) has blown cold air on gas lobby claims that Europe could save €900 billion and still hit its 2050 greenhouse gas reduction targets if it built more gas plants fitted with controversial carbon capture and storage technology.
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Half of EU electricity from wind by 2050
Half of the EU’s electricity requirements could be fuelled by wind power by 2050 according to a report by the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA), which has renewed calls for the Commission to impose a target for renewable energy beyond 2020.
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EWEA chief: EU legislation set to boost wind industry
The Renewables Directive agreed in December will provide incentives to develop wind energy by forcing new legislation in all 27 member states, Christian Kjaer, chief executive of the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA), told EURACTIV in an interview.
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Minister: Norway’s renewable goals ‘driven by wind’
As the EU embarks on ambitious plans to boost its share of renewable energy, Norway seeks to diversify its offering and swamp EU consumers with green electricity produced from large-scale offshore wind farms, Liv Monica Stubholt, state secretary for energy, told EURACTIV in an interview.
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Climate expert: Why China is following Europe’s green lead
Europe is ahead of China in the green technology race, says Nick Mabey, CEO of climate consulancy E3G. But if it wants to stay there, its political class has to rediscover the confidence to compete with China at its own game, he told EURACTIV.
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We have to fill Europe’s post-2020 energy vacuum
Given the long-term investment and planning required for the creation of new energy production, the EU needs a policy framework beyond 2020 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, writes Christian Kjaer in an exclusive op-ed for EURACTIV. He concludes that a technology-neutral emissions performance standard is needed if the EU is to offer both incentives and fair competition in the provision of carbon-free electricity.
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Integrating renewables into the electricity grid
Europe has put in place legislation to promote renewable energies but is now faced with the challenge of integrating increasing amounts of intermittent power sources like solar and wind into the electricity grid, running the risk of destabilising it.
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EU renewable energy policy
European leaders signed up to a binding EU-wide target to source 20% of their energy needs from renewables, including biomass, hydro, wind and solar power, by 2020. To meet this objective, they also agreed on a new directive to promote renewable energies, which set individual targets for each member state.
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EU must learn from China’s clean energy drive, say experts
The EU is in danger of being left behind as China launches its latest five-year energy plan, which will shift production towards clean energies such as wind power, experts warned.
