European Energy Union
|The European Union is working towards creating a source of free-flowing energy throughout the borders of Europe. The creation of this energy union will mean a more affordable, secure, and sustainable source of energy for every European business and citizen. With this new energy efficiency will come lower household bills, new jobs, and an expansion of exports. This means an affordable, low carbon, environmentally friendly source of energy for all of Europe.
Europe is raising the bar for the production of renewable energy and setting an example for the rest of the world to follow. It is taking a big step in the right direction towards the fight against global warming in the hopes that the rest of the world will soon follow suit. The main focus of this energy union is to create a more efficient and lower impact source of energy to use all throughout the area. It is a crucial step and the right direction for Europe, and the world. The union is based on a set of goals which include:
- The security of energy throughout Europe
- The adequate flow of energy across borders with the use of capable infrastructures
- Decarbonization of the area
- Capable research and leadership in the field of energy efficiency
The union has set a list of goals into place for the years 2020, 2030, and 2050. They have put their efforts into action and are striving towards achieving these goals in a timely manner.
The goals for the year 2020 include:
- 20% improvement in energy efficiency
- A 20% reduction in greenhouse gases from 1990 levels
- Increasing energy from renewable sources to 20%
Goals for 2030 are as follows:
- Reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40%
- Increasing energy efficiency by 30%
- Receiving energy from at least 27% renewable energies
- Generating at least 15% electricity to be interconnected
And the 2050 goals include:
- A 90% cut in greenhouse gases from the 1990 levels
The EU is well on their way to achieving their goals, but it isn’t an easy task. So far energy emissions have gone down by 18% (from 1990 to 2015) and renewable energy has gone from 8.5% to 14.1% since 2005. While the goal is to reach 20% of energy efficiency by 2020, the percentage is forecasted at 18-19%. Not quite reaching the goal, it is still a vast improvement. Europe hopes to inspire the other countries of the world with its eagerness and environmentally conscious ideas and goals.