More energy research funding is needed

Citation

(2009), "More energy research funding is needed", Management of Environmental Quality, Vol. 20 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/meq.2009.08320aab.002

More energy research funding is needed

Article Type: News From: Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, Volume 20, Issue 1

The European Unions’s “bold and innovative” energy policies have made it a global climate change leader but energy research funding must be urgently increased, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).

These are the main findings of the agency’s first review of the EU’s energy policies. The review praises the 27-member countries of the EU for recent proposals on energy and climate and efforts to further liberalise its energy market. But the IEA also states that low funding levels in non-nuclear research such as renewable energy could hinder the achievement of EU climate goals. Europe must also ensure these goals are achieved at the lowest possible cost. Plans to allow member states to restrict trading of renewable electricity certificates will increase costs considerably, the agency says.

IEA argues that funding for nuclear fission under the EU’s research programme for 2007 to 2013, which accounts for almost 40 per cent of the budget, is disproportionately high. This technology is only expected to contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the long term, the agency says. The current funding allocation must be revised “at the earliest possible opportunity”. Europe’s total energy research budget is much lower than in other countries such as the US and Japan. In November 2008 the European commission launched a strategic plan to accelerate the development of low-carbon technologies, but did not propose injecting any fresh money into EU energy research.