Protected areas have increased to cover one fifth of Europe’s land

EEA, October 24, 2012

More than 21 % of the land has some kind of protected status in the 39 countries which work with the European Environment Agency (EEA). However, only 4 % of the sea controlled by countries of the European Union is included within the Natura 2000 network of protected areas, according to a new report from the EEA. Read more...

European Offshore Wind Energy Continues to Grow by Leaps and Bounds

ENN, July 24, 2012

The European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) assessed the offshore wind capacity in Europe over the last six months. They found that at the end of the first half of 2012, the continent's offshore wind capacity grew by at an astonishing rate from a year ago. A new report by the EWEA shows that there are 132 new offshore wind turbines, providing an additional 523 megawatts of power, and that these new turbines were fully connected to the power grid during the first half of 2012. Last year, Europe added only 348.1 megawatts from offshore wind during the same time period, making it an increase of about 50 percent. Read more...

Climate change: what do models predict for Europe?

EEA, May 03, 2012

Records show temperatures have increased in Europe – but what changes can we expect to see in the future? Experts at the European Environment Agency (EEA) have produced a series of maps showing projected changes in temperature and precipitation for this century. Read more...

The European environment – state and outlook 2010

SOER 2010 provides a set of assessments of the current state of Europe's environment, its likely future state, what is being done and what could be done to improve it, how global megatrends might affect future trends… and more. Read more....

EU countries launch North Sea electricity grid

Euractiv, December 06, 2010

Ten European countries, including Norway, have agreed to develop an offshore electricity grid at the North Sea, in a bold move that promoters say will give Europe the possibility of tapping into an even bigger source of energy than the Middle East's oil capacity. Ministers from all the ten 'North Seas Countries' signed of a 'Memorandum of Understanding' on December 3 to develop an offshore electricity grid seen as a major step forward for a single European market for electricity. Read more...

Ευρωπαϊκό «υπερδίκτυο» ανανεώσιμων πηγών

H ΚΑΘΗΜΕΡΙΝΗ-The Guardian, 10 Ιανουαρίου 2010

Θα συνδέει τις ανεμογεννήτριες των θαλασσοδαρμένων βόρειων ακτών της Σκωτίας με τα τεράστια φωτοβολταϊκά πάρκα της Γερμανίας. Η δύναμη των κυμάτων που σκάνε στα παράλια του Βελγίου και της Ολλανδίας, θα ενωθεί με τα υδροηλεκτρικά φράγματα των φιορδ της Νορβηγίας: Με λίγα λόγια, το πρώτο ηλεκτρικό δίκτυο της Ευρώπης ειδικά για ανανεώσιμες πηγές ενέργειας θα γίνει πολιτική πραγματικότητα αυτόν το μήνα, καθώς εννέα χώρες της γηραιάς ηπείρου ολοκληρώνουν τα σχέδιά τους για συνένωση των σχετικών εγκαταστάσεων που διατηρούν γύρω από τη Βόρεια Θάλασσα. Το δίκτυο, το οποίο θα αποτελείται από χιλιάδες χιλιόμετρα υψηλής απόδοσης καλωδίων θα στοιχίσει περίπου 30 δισεκατομμύρια ευρώ και φιλοδοξεί να απαντήσει σε μία από τις βασικές κριτικές που δέχονται οι ανανεώσιμες πηγές ενέργειας: ότι η ποσότητα ενέργειας που εκλύουν εξαρτάται από τον καιρό. Διαβάστε περισσότερα...