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General Overview

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Electrical Energy Generation in Europe

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Abstract

It is an undisputed reality that the energy production, particularly the electricity generation and their sustained growth, constitutes indispensable elements to guarantee the progress of any country. In other words, the energy constitutes the motive force of the civilization and it determines, in a high degree, the level of economic and social development of the different countries. The well-being of people, industry, and economy depends on safe, secure, sustainable, and affordable energy. It is expected that 90 % of the increase in the world energy demand during the coming decades will be satisfied with fossil fuels. This means that around 15,300 million tons of oil equivalents will be consumed at world level in 2030 in order to satisfy the foreseeable demand. However, the fastest growing sources of world energy are renewable and in a minor manner nuclear power. The renewable energy source share of total energy use is expected to rise from 11 % in 2010 to 15 % in 2040, an increase of 4 %, and the nuclear share is expected to grow in the same period from 5 to 7 %, an increase of 2 %. Undoubtedly, renewable energy sources are the fastest growing sources of electricity generation during the next two decades, with annual increases averaging 2.8 % per year from 2010 to 2040.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Considered as a renewable energy source.

  2. 2.

    Considered as a renewable energy source.

  3. 3.

    It is important to highlight that at the end of 2014, the price of crude oil decreased considerably and is now around US$80–US$90 per barrel. It is expected that this new price for crude oil will stay below US$100 during the coming months.

  4. 4.

    OECD Europe includes the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and UK.

  5. 5.

    In 2009, electricity generation in Europe accounts for 33 % of CO2 production. Globally, the energy sector emits 26 billion tons of CO2 to the atmosphere each year and electricity production alone accounts for 41 % of these emissions. The International Energy Agency expects, if no adequated measures are nor adopted, CO2 emissions in 2030 to have increased by 55 % to reach more than 40 billion tons of CO2. The share of emissions coming from electricity production will increase to 44 % in 2030, reaching 18 billion tons of CO2.

  6. 6.

    The EC Third Energy Package is composed by the following directives and regulations: Directive 2009/72/EC 13 July 2009 concerning common rules for the internal market in electricity and repealing Directive 2003/54/EC; Directive 2009/73/EC of 13 July 2009 concerning common rules for the internal market in natural gas and repealing Directive 2003/55/EC; Regulation (EC) No 713/2009 of 13 July 2009 establishing an Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators ; Regulation (EC) No 714/2009 of 13 July 2009 on conditions for access to the network for cross-border exchanges in electricity and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1228/2003; Regulation (EC) No 715/2009 of 13 July 2009 on conditions for access to the natural gas transmission networks and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1775/2005.

  7. 7.

    For more information on the situation of natural gas in the European region, (See footnote 8). 

  8. 8.

    In the IEO (2010) report, world coal consumption is expected to increase by 56 % from 2007 to 2035, and coal’s share of world energy consumption is expected to grow from 27 % in 2007 to 28 % in 2035; this means an increase of 1 % for the whole period.

  9. 9.

    According to the EWEA, the role of renewable energy sources in the generation of electricity could reach 35–40 %.

  10. 10.

    It is important to highlight that the above figures do not cover the EC Competitive Automotive Regulatory System for the twenty-first-century initiative and the recent initiatives of car manufacturers as regards electric vehicles.

  11. 11.

    The EC expects a 73 % decline in the EU oil production between 2000 and 2030. Gas production will fall by 59 % and coal by 41 %. By 2030, the EU will be importing 94 % of its oil, 84 % of its gas, and 59 % of its coal.

  12. 12.

    EC Directive 2009/71.

  13. 13.

    Clean energy investment was even down in China—for the first time in decade—with a 3.8 % drop. In America, investment in clean energy and technologies fell by 8.4 % to US$48.4 billion. The biggest exception to the downward trend was Japan, where clean energy investment rose 55 % to US$35.4 billion last year, as the country tried to replace its nuclear power plants after the Fukushima nuclear accident.

  14. 14.

    Europe has to invest in new capacity to replace aging power plants and meet future demand. In the period 2005–2030, the EU needs to install 862 GWe of new electricity generating capacity. A total of 427 GWe of generating capacity will be retired in the EU, and an additional 435 GWe will be needed to satisfy the growing demand for power. The required capacity exceeds the total capacity operating in Europe (723 GWe) (Zervos and Kjaer 2008).

  15. 15.

    The EU is far from reaching its 20 % objective. The projections indicate that with the rates of implementation of the current energy efficiency policies in EU member states, only half of the objective might be achieved by 2020. Furthermore, while the economic crisis contributed to this decrease in energy consumption, it has also negatively impacted energy efficiency investment decisions at all levels—public, commercial, and private. As a response to this, the commission has recently adopted two new initiatives—an Energy Efficiency Plan and a Directive on Energy Efficiency—aiming at stepping up efforts toward the 20 % target.

  16. 16.

    The European quest for electricity liberalization is not one loaded with success stories. Compelled by the EC, EU member states slowly overcame their reluctance toward opening their energy industry and have restructured the sector so as to introduce competition with the aim of achieving cheaper electricity and improving the efficiency of the public services. However, at the end of the day, it is clear that liberalization is not delivering the results expected. Moreover, it is in increasing tension with other EC objectives, such as sustainable development and the fundamental freedoms of the internal market.

  17. 17.

    For more information on the European Energy Policy and Strategy, see the book entitled “The European Region: The Current Situation and Perspectives in the Use of Conventional Energy Sources for Electricity Generation,” Nova Science Publishers 2012.

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    Jorge Morales Pedraza

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Morales Pedraza, J. (2015). General Overview. In: Electrical Energy Generation in Europe. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16083-2_1

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