Europe’s ‘Energy Dependence Day’ is getting earlier each year
The day on which Europe runs out of indigenous energy and has to rely on foreign fuel imports is arriving earlier each year, according to an analysis by the European Alliance for Energy Efficiency in Buildings (EuroAce).
<p>You may have heard of Independence Day, but not Energy Dependence Day.
This is the day of the year on which the EU becomes entirely dependent on foreign imports for its energy.
EuroACE, the European Alliance of Companies for Energy Efficiency in Buildings, has highlighted that the EU imports more and more of its primary energy every year.
Fossil fuel imports leapt from 43% of Europe’s energy use in 1995 to 54% in 2011, largely due to increased demand from buildings at a time when domestic energy production had been falling fast.
The corresponding dates on which Europe ran out of home-grown energy surged forward from 26 July in 1995 to 18 June in 2011, this equates to an extra 38 days of energy dependence.
The landmark report of the Fraunhofer Institute published last October, showed that the 40% efficiency target would slash greenhouse gas emissions by more than 50% and increase the share of renewables in Europe’s energy mix to 35%. Means, that a target of improving energy efficiency by 40% would push back ‘Dependence Day’ until 26 October – and cut energy imports by 80% .
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