Energy targets

Sweden

In the Energy Bill enacted in 2002, the Government proposed a production target for renewable energy in Sweden of 10 TWh by 2010 and a planning target for wind power of 10 TWh by 2015. In 2007, the energy authorities proposed a new planning target for wind power by 2020. This proposal means planning for 30 TWh by 2020, 20 TWh of which is to be produced on land and 10 TWh at sea. Sweden’s wind power production is currently greater than 1 TWh of wind power electricity a year but, given the planning target, conditions for increased production are good. In order to meet the planning target, a substantial expansion in wind power, both on land and at sea, will be required. In 2007, Sweden’s then 786 wind turbines produced 1.18 TWh, which is an increase of almost 30% from 2006.
The electricity certificate system is a system promoting the expansion of wind power in Sweden. The aim of the electricity certificate system is for renewable energy sources, including wind power, to increase by 17 TWh by 2016, compared with the 2002 level.

The EU’s energy targets and the present situation

Today, wind power meets 3.7% of the EU’s electricity needs and, in 2007, capacity in the EU increased by 8.5 GW. The EU has a binding target of 20% renewable energy in its energy mix by 2020. In order for the EU’s target for the proportion of wind power in this renewable energy to cover 12 -14% of the EU’s energy needs by 2020, wind power capacity needs to increase by 9.5 GW per year in the next 13 years. This means that 180 GW of wind energy in 2020 would produce 0.447 GWh of electricity, which would cover the energy needs of 107 million average households in the EU and represent 18% of the electricity-generated capacity in the EU. At the end of 2007, wind was the renewable energy technology that has provided the most promising results so far, with 57 GW total capacity installed in the EU.