LOCATION/TYPE

NEWS HOME

[ exact phrase in "" • results by date ]

[ Google-powered • results by relevance ]


Archive
RSS

Add NWW headlines to your site (click here)

Get weekly updates

WHAT TO DO
when your community is targeted

RSS

RSS feeds and more

Keep Wind Watch online and independent!

Donate via Paypal

Donate via Stripe

Selected Documents

All Documents

Research Links

Alerts

Press Releases

FAQs

Campaign Material

Photos & Graphics

Videos

Allied Groups

Wind Watch is a registered educational charity, founded in 2005.

News Watch Home

EU threat to case for wind farms 

Credit:  By Vincent Ryan, Business Reporter | Irish Examiner | January 14, 2014 | www.irishexaminer.com ~~

The business case for the building of large-scale wind farms and the transmission networks that go with them is under threat from a policy move in Brussels.

Intense negotiations are under way that could result in the European Commission scrapping binding targets for renewable energy from 2030.

The policies driving Ireland’s transformation into a renewable energy powerhouse have been based on the EU sticking to its policy of forcing countries to have a certain percentage of their energy generated from renewable sources.

A number of projects that have been announced in Ireland have been solely aimed at exporting Irish-generated electricity to meet the UK’s requirement under future EU law to have 30%-35% of its power generated from renewable resources.

Irish Wind Energy Association CEO Kenneth Matthews said the negotiations are still under way.

“It is important to note that EU discussions on the 2030 framework are still under way. Ireland was one of eight European states to write directly to the European Commission to outline a preference for binding renewable targets for 2030, signalling our continuing ambition to further develop clean sources of indigenous energy,” he said.

In the UK, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) said that they were completely against any binding targets

“The UK Government has a clear position on the EU 2030 framework – we support a binding unilateral EU-wide 2030 Green House Gas target of 40% moving up to 50% in the context of a global climate deal. We do not support a renewables target,” a spokesperson said.

If the UK wins in its battle with Brussels, Ireland’s plans to export renewable energy to the UK would no longer make economic sense, according to professor of economics at the University of Sussex, Richard Tol.

Prof Tol said wind-energy generation is still more costly than existing technologies. He said that without the subsidies exporting Irish wind power does not make sense. “You are talking about using technology that is still not competitive without subsidies. Generating without the subsidies and the whole business model disappears. If the targets disappear, the subsidies disappear and with it the business case for massive wind farms in the midlands,” he said.

Source:  By Vincent Ryan, Business Reporter | Irish Examiner | January 14, 2014 | www.irishexaminer.com

This article is the work of the source indicated. Any opinions expressed in it are not necessarily those of National Wind Watch.

The copyright of this article resides with the author or publisher indicated. As part of its noncommercial educational effort to present the environmental, social, scientific, and economic issues of large-scale wind power development to a global audience seeking such information, National Wind Watch endeavors to observe “fair use” as provided for in section 107 of U.S. Copyright Law and similar “fair dealing” provisions of the copyright laws of other nations. Send requests to excerpt, general inquiries, and comments via e-mail.

Wind Watch relies entirely
on User Funding
   Donate via Paypal
(via Paypal)
Donate via Stripe
(via Stripe)

Share:

e-mail X FB LI TG TG Share


News Watch Home

Get the Facts
CONTACT DONATE PRIVACY ABOUT SEARCH
© National Wind Watch, Inc.
Use of copyrighted material adheres to Fair Use.
"Wind Watch" is a registered trademark.

 Follow:

Wind Watch on X Wind Watch on Facebook

Wind Watch on Linked In Wind Watch on Mastodon