North Hoyle offshore wind farm
Almost a third of Europe's total electricity demand could be powered by clean green offshore wind energy, by 2020. That's enough to supply electricity to every single one of the 150 million EU households.
A new report commissioned by Greenpeace, called Sea Wind Europe, also found that in the process:
- Up to 3 million jobs would be created
- A market for European industry worth hundreds of millions of Euros would be created
- Declining industries and many deprived industrial regions would stand to benefit the most, with the manufacturing, steel and offshore engineering sectors heading the list
- The electricity produced would be cheaper than nuclear power and coal
The European wind industry is about to expand hugely, with major construction projects off countries including the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, France and Spain. The report, by respected international energy consultants Garrad Hassan, examined wind speeds, sea depths, economic infrastructure and advancements in offshore wind technology. It concluded that as many as 50,000 turbines could be built in European seas, generating the equivalent of 720 billion domestic units of electricity.
The report recommends key policy measures that would need to be in place, starting with a clear statement of vision from the European Union.
The conclusions it reaches confirm that the full range of renewable energy technologies offer clean, safe and effective solutions to both climate change and energy security, right now.
Based on the report, we are calling for the European Member States to commit to setting a renewable energy target of at least 20% for 2020 at the June 2004 International Conference for Renewable Energies in Bonn.
Greenpeace is also calling for:
Increased research and development support for offshore wind and other renewable energy technologies in order to bring a renewable future closer to reality;
and
The redirection of EU energy subsidies away from dangerous and dirty energy sources such as coal and nuclear and towards clean, green renewable energies such as offshore wind.
