The EU is steering away from the use of oil-fired power stations, a study has found, but Malta goes in the opposite direction, opting to have an extension of the Delimara plant using heavy fuel oil.
A study published in Brussels yesterday shows EU member states are investing heavily in the installation of renewable technology to produce its electricity, particularly through wind and photovoltaic energy.
Ironically, the report shows that, compared to 2008, Malta last year registered an eight per cent drop in the installation of solar thermal water heaters, the only significant renewable energy source on the island.
According to the 2010 Renewable Energy Snapshots report, oil-fired power stations, similar to the one Malta has just commissioned for Delimara, was one of the least popular technologies coming on stream last year.
Of the 27.5 gigawatts of new electricity generation coming on stream in the EU last year, just 2.1 per cent was derived from newly-built power stations fired by oil. Among the power station technology installed, oil was the least popular. The most popular technology for power stations was gas, considered to be the cleanest fossil fuel.
Gas power stations generated 24 per cent of all the new electricity capacity in the EU in 2009.
Despite being the most hazardous, coal is still being used by some of the newly-built power stations and, last year, it was used to generate 8.7 per cent of all the new power in Europe.
In 2009, 62 per cent of all the new electricity-generating capacity installed in Europe consisted of renewable energy.
Wind energy is becoming the most tapped source of clean energy and last year amounted to 37.1 per cent of all the new energy capacity generated. This was followed by photovoltaics (21 per cent), biomass (2.1 per cent), hydro (1.4 per cent) and concentrated solar power (0.4 per cent).
Waste incineration also contributed to the surge of renewable energy in the EU, reaching 1.6 per cent of all the freshly installed technology in 2009 while nuclear energy increased by another 1.6 per cent.
Although Malta is bound to produce 10 per cent of all its energy needs in 2020 through renewable sources and plans are under way on major projects in this area, the only source being used for Malta to ease its dependency on oil is solar energy, particularly for domestic water heating systems.
Last year saw a decline in the installation of these environment-friendly systems. While in 2008 plants with a generating capacity of 6,000Kw were installed on the island, the figure dropped to 5,500Kw last year.
According to the study, Malta last year had a total solar thermal capacity of 28,602Kw, amounting to 75Kw per capita while Cyprus was already producing 514,640Kw, or 650Kw per capita, making it the leader in the EU in this area. Greece was producing 250Kw per capita and Germany, which is not renowned for its sunny climate, was producing 100Kw per capita.
Despite the recent changes in the way member states are looking at the generation of electricity, fossil fuel - the main contributor to the formation of greenhouse gases - is still the most commonly used source of power. According to the latest figures, fossil fuels, comprising coal, gas and oil, are used to generate 80 per cent of the EU's energy needs. If the present trend in the EU continues, renewable energy will soon be making more headway.