RWEA: The costs of pollution become alarming

Romanian Wind Energy Association (RWEA) expresses its concern about the pollution generated by fossil fuels in energy production and to the impact this has on health and the environment. In the same time, RWEA reminds that the energy produced from wind, water or sun alone does not affect the environment and help people to breathe clean air.

2015-06-29 14:59:18

"The concern is amplified by the fact that the alarming statistics showing that the direction is wrong, are not taken seriously. International trends are to replace old plants that use fossil fuels with new, clean and reduce subsidies to polluting technologies. It turned out that existing clean technologies reduce electricity prices in the open market. In Romania, renewable energy is sidelined and is often mentioned as a cause for increasing the value of electricity bills, and less in the context of a developed society, with care for the environment. Although initially granted state support renewable energy reduces precisely because it does not pollute, the final consumer pays the same value of the invoice because the reduction applied state turns to increase revenue for polluting energy production," the RWEA release states.

According to RWEA statement, representatives of the international community, such as the International Monetary Fund or the European Commission, argue strongly that the planet is in imminent danger due to consumption of increasingly higher fossil fuel. Worldwide, one of the most dangerous sources of pollution is generated by fossil fuels in energy production. Recently, an IMF study called: "How large are the subsidies in energy" claims that, worldwide, subsidized fossil fuels in 2015 will be 5.3 trillion. This amount represents 6.5% of international GDP. In the same study mentions that if subsidies were removed this year, global CO2 emissions would decrease by 20% and premature deaths caused by air pollution would be reduced by half.

IMF warns that these grants awarded energy production from conventional sources discourages the need for investment in energy efficiency, renewable energy and energy infrastructure. Also, Member vulnerability against volatile energy prices would increase. Another study by The Lancet argues that climate change caused by air pollution could adversely affect all health progress globally in the last 50 years.

"The figures are worrying and should be interesting to see what share of these subsidies in Romania. Local discuss just about renewable energy subsidies are made and unravel support schemes when such energy is really the future that we should all headed. "Says Catalina Dragomir, President RWEA.
Weighted average CO2 emissions from coal, gas, oil and other fossil fuels in Romania of 2014 is 751.7106 grams / kWh. (Source: data processed from figures published by ANRE in electricity Report - 2014).

In 2014, according to the National Institute of Statistics, around 4,723,600,000 kWh have been produced from wind power. If the same amount of energy would have been produced from the processing of fossil fuels, Romania would have produced 3.54 million tons of CO2, equivalent to 24.78 million Euro money that had not been paid by the end consumer as price of electricity in Romania. Also, if the same amount would have been produced using nuclear energy, around 14.17 tons of radioactive waste would have been generated.