Europe gets first glimpse of solar, windfarm plans
Published on Thu, Jul 01, 2010 at 19:50 | Source : Reuters
Updated at Thu, Jul 01, 2010 at 21:20
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Europe gets first glimpse of solar, windfarm plans
Wind turbine farms are set to expand rapidly across Europe's coastal waters, throwing up challenges and opportunities for industry, according to a Reuters analysis of a leaked draft of EU energy strategies.
Paperwork and red tape is often a major barrier to photovoltaic power, which could be competitive within five years in the most favourable regions, said Dow Corning's Peeters.
"In Italy, permitting is complex and is really slowing development," he said. "But Belgium is a good example. It has the lowest sun outside Scandinavia, and yet this year there will be 200 MW installed, which is very high on a per capita basis."
Peeters has just moved from the United States to Belgium and expects to have solar panels installed on his roof by September.
"In Michigan (US) that would be almost impossible for a normal resident," he added.
The draft plans also reveal major plans for investment in power from biomass, particularly in eastern Europe. Bulgaria plans 433 MW of biomass generating capacity, while Poland plans 1,425 MW.
But the European Commission's director general for energy, Philip Lowe, said he would not hide from dealing with charges from environmentalists that energy from biomass can often do more harm than good.
"At the end of the year, we have to be very realistic about this," he told a Friends of Europe conference on Wednesday. "We're fully on board for a serious scientific examination."
