Towards a sustainable european energy policy: the role of alternative energy sources

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• Introduction
• The status and outlook of conventional energy generation
  • A general overview
  • Natural Gas as primary energy source
  • Brown and Hard Coal as primary energy source
  • Crude Oil as primary energy source
  • Uranium and Nuclear Power as primary energy source
• Renewable energies and its potentials
  • A general overview
  • Water power as primary energy source
  • Wind power as primary energy source
  • Solar irradiation as primary energy source harnessed by photovoltaic power plants
  • Solar irradiation as primary energy source harnessed by solar thermal power plants
  • Biomass as primary energy source
  • Geothermal power as primary energy source
• Two alternative energy supply conceptions
  • The conception of the organic hydrogen economy
    • A general overview
    • The layout of the organic hydrogen economy
    • The realisation of a sufficient biomass production
    • The costs for the organic hydrogen economy
  • The DESERTEC conception
    • Solar energy out of the desert
    • The future European energy supply scenario
• The role of supply guarantee
  • A general overview
  • The supply guarantee of renewable energies
  • The supply guarantee of conventional primary energy sources
  • The supply guarantee with regard to the two conceptions
• The role of international relations and dependencies
  • A general overview
  • The example of the European Union's natural gas relation to Russia
• Summary and conclusion

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This paper examines the role and potential of renewable energies (RES) for a future energy mix or even a substitution of conventional primary energy sources (PES) in the EU. It investigates the optimal energy mix for a long-term energy policy, considering factors such as supply guarantee, energetic independence, economic costs, and environmental impacts.

• The role of renewable energy sources in a future energy mix for the European Union.
• The potential of renewable energy sources as a replacement for conventional primary energy sources.
• The importance of supply guarantee and energetic independence in a long-term energy policy.
• The economic and environmental impacts of different energy mixes.

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

This paper begins by providing an overview of the current status and outlook of conventional energy generation, discussing sources like natural gas, brown and hard coal, crude oil, and nuclear power. It then explores the potential of renewable energy sources, examining water power, wind power, solar energy (both photovoltaic and thermal), biomass, and geothermal energy.

The paper delves into two alternative energy supply conceptions: the organic hydrogen economy and the DESERTEC project. It analyzes the layout, realization, and costs of the organic hydrogen economy, as well as the potential of solar energy from the desert for the European energy supply.

Finally, the paper discusses the role of supply guarantee in energy policy, examining the supply guarantee of renewable energies and conventional energy sources, and comparing the two alternative conceptions. The paper concludes with a discussion on the role of international relations and dependencies, using the example of the European Union's natural gas relationship with Russia.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

Renewable energy, energy mix, primary energy source, supply guarantee, energetic independence, economic costs, environmental impacts, organic hydrogen economy, DESERTEC, European Union, energy policy.