The European Union has set itself the goal of raising the share of renewable energy sources in the final overall energy consumption of the Union from 8.5% in 2005 to 20% in 2020.
This is an ambitious objective, but it is also a necessary contribution to the global fight against climate change and towards better control over our energy dependence.
Governments have a crucial role to play through their good example and their support. But each individual can also help to achieve this objective.
The various uses of renewable energy are examined:
- electricity through wind and hydraulic energies;
- electricity or heat through geothermal and solar energies;
- electricity, heat, and biofuel coming from biomass, the "Sleeping Giant".
The European Union is a world leader in the use and deployment of technologies that exploit renewable energy sources, providing over 350.000 jobs and an annual turn-over of € 30 billion.
