Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
has not yet been defined by the EU (European Commission 2011). Milestone
targets in the EU's roadmap defined so far are 30% renewable energies in
total energy consumption and 45% given by the renewable energy industry
associations (EREF 2011). Discussion about the share of renewable energies
in the final consumption of energy cannot be reproduced here. It is clear,
however, that the sharing of markets and profits from the future energy
supply system is lurking behind this discussion and that is why the debate
has become so heated. Very different actors are meeting in this arena: on the
one hand, the conventional energy industry with typical large industry
structures and, on the other, small- and medium-size firms offering and
operating plants and equipment for the supply of renewable energies.
An overview of the current state of biogas utilization and the targets of
the different European countries based on National Renewable Energy
Action Plans (NREAPs) is contained in Biogas Report 2011 published by
the European Biogas Association (EBA 2011). It can be seen from these
plans that some countries have a considerable amount of catching up to do
to meet the level of biogas use in other countries (Fig.1.1). Overall, the
production of electricity from biogas is set to increase from 25.2 terawatt-
hours (TWh) in 2009 to 63.3 TWh by 2020. Countries such as Germany,
Sweden and Austria, with a high number of biogas plants today, will
probably meet these goals. Considerable progress has also been made in
Italy and the Czech Republic, whereas countries such as Poland and the
Baltic states will probably have to reconsider their support policies for
biogas (Fig.1.1).
The search for state-aid instruments that would help increase the present
share of renewable energies in the energy supply system is a worldwide
process. The target is to create conditions for potential owners of plants for
the provision of renewable energy that enable them to connect their plants
to the available energy distribution networks and market their products at
1.1
Biogas production in 2010 and targets based on National
Renewable Energy Action Plans (NREAPs) (source: EBA 2011).
Search WWH ::
Custom Search