Sustainable domestic energy essential for European supply security – report
Clean Energy Wire
Accelerating the transition to largely domestically produced sustainable energy such as wind and solar electricity is the only way to really ensure energy security in Europe, said the European Academies Science Advisory Council (EASAC). Europe’s greatest insecurity stems from its dependence on imported fossil fuels – mainly oil and gas – which exposes the continent to geopolitical blackmail and makes it economically vulnerable, said the network formed by the national science academies of European countries in a press release.
A new report by the science advisors highlights the need to deal with growing threats to energy security, such as the danger of new dependencies as the EU phases out Russian energy imports. It recommends phasing out fossil fuels and expanding domestically produced sustainable energies. These include electricity from hydropower, wind, photovoltaics, sustainable biomass, nuclear and to a small extent geothermal generation, as well as fuel alternatives like hydrogen and sustainable fuels such as biodiesel.
The scientists also recommend strengthening electricity infrastructure, state backing for energy security investments that the market does not trigger, and further integrating European energy markets with one another.
"The Green Deal, followed by the recent Clean Industrial Deal, are Europe's best weapons in the fight to protect its sovereignty. Energy produced by wind and solar does not have to be imported," said Finnish researcher Paula Kivimaa, co-chair of the EASAC working group on the security of sustainable energy supplies. "Every investment in sustainable energy is an investment in our security. In contrast, every euro we spend on energy imports is a euro lost from our defence capabilities."
The European Union has set the target of net-zero emissions by 2050 and is driving the energy transition in that direction. Wind and solar electricity capacity is rising rapidly as fossil fuels are phased out. At the same time, the energy crisis surrounding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the accompanying weaponisation of supply, has made energy security a key issue for the EU. The bloc is working domestically to ramp up low-emission methods of production and trying to find ways of diversifying imports.
A recent report by the Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel) said Europe could reduce its spending on security and defence by cutting its reliance on fossil fuels, thereby starving Russia of funds from oil exports which are critical to financing Vladimir Putin’s war machine.
