Renewable energy European potential

Resch, G., Ragwitz, M., Held, A. el al. (2006). Potentials and Cost for Renewable Electricity in Europe. A Report of the OPTRES-project Assessment and Optimisation of Renewable Energy Support Measures in the European Electricity Market. A Research Project Supported by the European Commission, DG TREN, Intelligent Energy for Europe - Programme (Contract No. E1E/04/073/S07.38567). Vienna. 

Since this region is located on the edge of one of the largest electricity grids (the European Union s grid), its vast renewable energy potential could be... 

Renewable Energy (RE) sources are currently insufficiently exploited in the European Union the energetic potential is considerable, but currently they provide a small contribution of less than 6% to the EU s overall energy consumption. RE sources are expected, however, to grow considerably in the future, especially to comply with the commitments at both European and international level on environmental protection. 

Assessments of such resources differentiate between the physical (or theoretical), practical (ortechnical) and realizable (oreconomic) potential within a given timeframe. According to a recent study of the renewable energy potentials in the OECD countries and the ERICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), the total renewable energy potential amounts to approximately 9,000 TWh electricity, 5,700 TWh heat, and 1,700 TWh biofuels for transport in the 2020 perspective for these countries (OECD, 2008). The European shares of these potentials, shown in Table 12.5, can be rich sources of either classical biofuels or hydrogen production. 

Renewables are often seen as the future feedstock for hydrogen, if hydrogen is to make a real contribution to energy security and C02-emission reduction. However, cheap renewable potentials are also limited and will be increasingly in competition with heat and electricity generation. An overview of the renewable potentials worldwide and with a particular focus on the situation in the European Union is at the centre of Chapter 5. 

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