Wherever fossil fuels are essential for way of life, from industrial production to heating homes, energy suppliers wield undue power over countries that depend upon them. Krzysztof Ksiezopolski investigates the looming energy policy dilemmas for Poland Associate in Nursingd Ukraine long-faced with an more and moreaggressive Russia, and shows however resilience offered by renewable systems isn't solely ecological howeverconjointly a matter of economic and political independence.
Without the present provides of Russian gas, EU member states would face serious energy shortages and economic turbulence. The extent to that gas is relied upon for power generation across Europe underlines this risk: the fuel accounts for forty eight per cent of power within the Kingdom of The Netherlands, fifty eight per cent in Republic of Lithuania and Latvia, and the maximum amount as eighty two per cent in Luxembourg. Fossil fuels additional broadly speaking dominate the EU energy mix: oil provides thirty eight.1 per cent of energy consumption, gas 23.7 per cent, and coal thirteen.8 per cent. except for carbon sources, nuclear makes up eleven.1 per cent, hydro 4.0 per cent, and 9.0 per cent comes from alternative renewable sources. The EU imports fifty three per cent of all the energy it consumes, and even higher proportions of its oil and gas demands.
This import dependency comes at a high value. In 2013, the EU spent 403 billion euros on fuel imports, that fell to 261 billion euros in 20