The letter was signed by SSE, Eneco, DONG Energy, Public Power Corporation, ACCIONA, Sorgenia, EWE and EDP Renewables.

“The lack of binding targets post 2020, an ETS [Emissions Trading System] failing to stimulate investment in renewables, and an outdated energy infrastructure severely threaten to wreck the needed modernisation and decarbonisation of the European energy sector,” the letter published by Euractiv says.

The lack of concrete policy measures post-2020 does not provide “sufficient guidance and certainty,” meanwhile, the low ETS carbon price and over-supply of emission allowances is “far from providing the foundation for investments in renewable energy technologies,” the letter states.

If policy action is not taken the EU risks missing its 2050 target of cutting carbon by 85-90% compared to 1990 levels since current conditions mean that the phase-out of carbon intensive power plants may be delayed and “the better business case for possible investment in the power sector today is for new lignite coal power plants,” according to the letter.

At the same time, Europe’s electricity grids and market design must be upgraded, the letter says in an opinion that chimes with the call of a campaign supported by EWEA, Europacable, Eurelectric and 62 other organisations across Europe. “International transmission capacity is needed to avoid large regional imbalances and ensure a cost-efficient utilisation of Europe’s low-carbon resources,” the letter states.

In December last year, the European Commission released a draft energy roadmap for 2050. The plans have been criticised for not containing concrete targets for 2030, but the Commission has indicated that there will be an intense discussion on binding renewable energy targets for 2030. These targets should be agreed by 2014, European Commissioner for energy Günther Oettinger has said.

A 2030 target is vital for the energy sector. Investors need signals for 2030 to help them make the right choices today. If the Commission is to take its 2050 carbon targets seriously – as well as open up opportunities for investment and sustainable jobs in a renewable economy – it needs to define 2030 targets urgently.

Media outlets and websites have been reporting the past week about leaked documents from the Heartland Institute, a Chicago-based libertarian think tank that aggressively downplays the existing and potential ravages of climate change.

According to Heartland’s leaked fundraising plan, posted online by DeSmogBlog.com, the institute hopes to raise €5.8 million this year, a 70% increase over 2011.

One of the donors last year was the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation, which gave €18,900. The New York Times says Koch is one of two billionaire brothers who prominently support libertarian causes. “They control Koch Industries, one of the country’s largest private companies and a major oil refinery,” the newspaper said.

Revelations that Heartland wants to step up its campaign to denigrate science-based public classroom teaching has prompted an open letter from a group of high-profile climate scientists who urge the institute to understand how its attacks on science have helped to poison the debate over global warming.

“The Heartland Institute has chosen to undermine public understanding of basic scientific facts and personally attack climate researchers rather than engage in a civil debate about climate change policy options,” says the letter, obtained by the Guardian.

“These are the facts: Climate change is occurring. Human activity is the primary cause of recent climate change. Climate change is already disrupting many human and natural systems. The more heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions that go into the atmosphere, the more severe those disruptions will become.”

The scientists went on to say that they object to Heartland’s practice of spreading misinformation about climate research and personally attacking climate scientists to further its goals.

“We hope the Heartland Institute will begin to play a more constructive role in the policy debate,” the letter continued. “Refraining from misleading attacks on climate science and climate researchers would be a welcome first step toward having an honest, fact-based debate about the policy responses to climate change.”

Meanwhile, to make a murky situation even murkier, the Financial Times and other media organisations are reporting that Dr. Peter Gleick, a water scientist and supporter of the need for action on climate change, has admitted he tricked the Heartland Institute into sending him confidential fundraising and strategy papers that he leaked anonymously to journalists.

Gleick’s admission that he used deception to obtain the documents has set off a debate in the scientific community with some denouncing his actions while others saying the documents he released speak volumes about the institute’s ongoing crusade to belittle climate change. For its part, Heartland has said one of the leaked documents is fake.

As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change keeps reminding those who will listen, a great deal is at stake if the world’s warming atmosphere is to be kept to an increase of no more than 2° Celsius which scientists say is the absolute limit if we are to avoid dangerous climate change.

Honest discussion about climate change — like how wind power and other renewables can help mitigate greenhouse gas emissions caused by burning fossil fuels — is already long overdue. Misrepresenting peer-reviewed science is not part of the answer.

Vilma Radvilaite

The European Commission has just published a mid-term review of its European Energy Programme for Recovery which reveals that offshore wind energy is the strongest performer under the scheme. But what is this scheme all about and how exactly is offshore wind the strongest? The EWEA blog talks to Vilma Radvilaite, Regulatory Affairs Advisor at EWEA to find out…

What is the European Energy Programme for Recovery?

Back in 2009, the EU launched a plan to help Europe face-up to the financial crisis and rising concerns about energy security and climate change. Some €4 billion was allocated to the plan – called the European Economic Recovery Plan (EERP) – focusing on projects that were capable of making quick and effective use of significant amount of funding.
Three areas were considered to meet these criteria: offshore wind energy, gas and electricity infrastructure projects and carbon capture and storage (CCS).

How much was allocated to each area?

Electricity and gas infrastructure projects received the largest slice of funding – €2,365 million for 44 projects, followed by CCS – €1,050 million for six projects and lastly offshore wind – €565 million for nine projects.
Why is wind energy the strongest performer?

What’s interesting about these amounts is how quickly money invested actually turns into real projects on the ground. By December 2010 one offshore wind project was already providing electricity to the grid – just over one year after the plan was agreed. That’s pretty fast. The mid-term review also found that another offshore wind energy project had installed foundations last year, and that orders placed for another two offshore wind farm projects had contributed to the development of industrial clusters in innovative technologies in Germany.
Meanwhile, none of the CCS projects were ready by the time of the review.
Wind energy is the strongest performer because it has produced the greatest ‘real’ results relative to the amount of funding it received.

Have any of the projects helped to create jobs?

Yes! The offshore wind projects under the EEPR created a total of 4,000 direct jobs and more than 1,000 more jobs indirectly by the time the review was carried out in May 2011. And that’s with the smallest amount of funding. To compare, CCS projects – which received almost double the amount of funding – have created just 400 jobs. Electricity and gas infrastructure, meanwhile, created 5,000 jobs.

What do the results of the review show?

Offshore wind energy projects are an ideal way to stimulate economic growth and create jobs, as shown by this review. At the same time wind energy cuts carbon emissions and improves Europe’s energy security by creating electricity in Europe and reducing the need for fuel imports.
Investment in wind power is clearly a way to help restore Europe’s economy to health.

Read the full mid-term review

Read the EWEA press release

P.N.Rasmussen

According to former Danish prime minister Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, the offshore wind energy sector could help Europe get back on its feet after the current financial crisis. “If the sector understands their role I’m sure they could take the lead in bringing Europe out of the crisis, as the first mover”, he added in a recent interview with Wind Directions.

He even considered the sector’s biggest challenge in the next few years to be addressing its potential role as “the breaker in the markets going against the [financial] crisis.” As a Dane and a former politician, Rasmussen is no stranger to wind energy. Now, he has consolidated his familiarity with the sector as Chairman of Lindoe Offshore Renewables Centre (LORC), a Danish organisation that tests and demonstrates technologies for harvesting renewable energy offshore.

He believes strongly in the potential of the offshore wind energy sector – that it is “the most promising sector you could ever see”. However, it needs “take some jumps in technology”, he adds. “We need to solve this reliability problem, this predictability problem and we need to bring down costs”, Rasmussen told Wind Directions. “We need to solve the grid problem and the [supply] chain problem. So there are a lot of new challenges at sea that need to be solved.” He also believes that costs need to come down.

 As well as the industry, the EU also needs to take certain steps, believes Rasmussen. “I think number one, you must set yourself ambitious targets and stick to them. Number two, you must combine targets with concrete planning in your country and in the European Union. Number three is you have a documented implementation so industry can see the targets, this is planning, this is implementation. And then you need to have long-term financing which is especially important in these crisis years”, he says.

Read the full interview in the latest Wind Directions

The interconnector cable, known as the FABLink, will connect France, the Channel Island of Alderney and mainland Britain. Edward Davey, UK Energy Secretary, said he recognises the “importance of further developing new electricity interconnectors between our two countries in order to strengthen further the linking of our grids, improve the security of our energy supplies and facilitate the integration of intermittent energy sources.”

Meanwhile, the UK announced another new electricity link last week – a subsea interconnector between Hunterston in West Scotland and the Wiral peninsula in England near the Welsh border. The 418 km cable will bring renewable energy from Scotland further south helping the UK to meet its carbon cutting targets. It is due to be online by 2016.

“The additional capacity from this link will provide a significant boost to renewable energy projects that we are developing in Scotland in order to bring clean energy to consumers throughout the country,” Ignacio Galan, Chairman of Scottish Power said.

The Scottish government wants to increase its renewable power generation from 10 TWh today to 50 TWh by 2020 – in order to meet its target of 100% renewable electricity by 2020. Scotland already has over 2,500 MW of wind power capacity.

These announcements come as European Commissioner for Energy, Günther Oettinger, last week warned that Europe must co-operate on grids at a European level or face declining global competitiveness.

Find out more on free movement of electricity here: www.freedomforelectricity.eu