Feb 28

EU industrial strategy must recognise wind energy as a job creator in its own right

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Last week, WindEurope was one of the co-signatories of a letter calling for a robust industrial strategy to implement the Green Deal.

Europe can only reach climate-neutrality through the sustained growth of renewable energy to power the economy. This will be essential to ensure Europe’s long-term security of energy supply and technology leadership.

The letter advised that renewable energy technologies should be acknowledged among the key Strategic Value Chains in the European Commission’s upcoming Industrial Strategy.

Today, renewables already provide 1.2 million direct and indirect European jobs. With the right industrial strategy in place, this could jump to 2.7 million jobs according to International Renewable Energy Agency.

And wind energy is uniquely poised to play a key role in this. Wind energy is the most mature renewables technology in Europe, it already provides 15% of Europe’s power, and it has established Europe as the global leader in renewable energy.

Here are 5 clear steps that the Commission should take, as part of a renewables industrial strategy, to get the most out of wind energy:

  • Recognise wind energy as a key Strategic Value Chain for the delivery of climate neutrality by 2050;
  • Revitalise the EU’s domestic wind energy market through robust and timely implementation of the EU’s Clean Energy Package;
  • Drive investments in infrastructure that is consistent with delivering the Paris Climate Agreement;
  • Align the EU’s trade and competition policies with climate & energy objectives; and
  • Continue and increase EU Research & Innovation funding to support technologies such as wind energy that will deliver the energy transition.

Want to know more? Read all our analysis on the Green Deal – and what the European Commission must do to deliver it.

Find out more about the Green Deal

Source: WindEurope asbl/vzw, 24 February 2020
www.windeurope.org

c. Europe now gets 15% of its electricity from wind but is not building enough to deliver the Green Deal

s. WindEurope calls on EU countries to make National Energy & Climate Plans their investment brochure for wind energy

s. European Parliament gives strong backing for future of renewables

s. Corporates call for greater government ambition on renewables ahead of EU Energy Council Meeting

s. European Parliament paves the way for increased ambition on 2030 renewable energy laws

c. France can be no. 2 in wind in Europe by 2030

c. With the right policies, wind could provide 30% of Europe’s power by 2030

s. Europe adds 6.1 GW of wind energy capacity in first half of 2017