Wind energy will meet 50% of the European Union's (EU) electricity demand by 2050, according to wind energy executives who spoke at the European Wind Energy Conference in Warsaw, Poland.
‘2050 might seem like a long way off, but the decisions we take today will have a big impact on our energy supplies in 40 years' time,’ said Arthouros Zervos, president of the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA).
With the G8 and EU already committed to an 80% greenhouse gas reduction by 2050, ‘we can't allow the politicians to make grand statements and leave the serious decisions to the next generation,’ Zervos added. ‘Given the long life of power plants, our vision for 2050 has to be reflected in the construction of new power plants from at least 2020 onwards.’
However, Zervos stressed that the focus of the transformation should be on a renewable energy economy, not a low-carbon one, noting that renewable energies can fulfill 100% of Europe's electricity demand by 2050 "without any further contribution from any so-called low-carbon technologies."
Key to reaching the 50% by 2050 goal is maintaining current growth rates on both onshore and offshore, as well as developing a pan-European grid to interconnect is electricity networks, noted Christian Kjaer, EWEA's chief executive.
SOURCE: European Wind Energy Association
