Hall of Fame Member
Posts: 10,505 
Location: The Evil Empire
Location: The Evil Empire
February 20th, 2006, 02:24 PM
Sweden plans to be world's first oil-free economy
· 15-year limit set for switch to renewable energy
· Biofuels favoured over further nuclear power
John Vidal, environment editor
Wednesday February 8, 2006
The Guardian
Sweden is to take the biggest energy step of any advanced western economy by trying to wean itself off oil completely within 15 years - without building a new generation of nuclear power stations.
The attempt by the country of 9 million people to become the world's first practically oil-free economy is being planned by a committee of industrialists, academics, farmers, car makers, civil servants and others, who will report to parliament in several months.
The intention, the Swedish government said yesterday, is to replace all fossil fuels with renewables before climate change destroys economies and growing oil scarcity leads to huge new price rises.
"Our dependency on oil should be broken by 2020," said Mona Sahlin, minister of sustainable development. "There shall always be better alternatives to oil, which means no house should need oil for heating, and no driver should need to turn solely to gasoline."
According to the energy committee of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, there is growing concern that global oil supplies are peaking and will shortly dwindle, and that a global economic recession could result from high oil prices.
Ms Sahlin has described oil dependency as one of the greatest problems facing the world. "A Sweden free of fossil fuels would give us enormous advantages, not least by reducing the impact from fluctuations in oil prices," she said. "The price of oil has tripled since 1996."
A government official said: "We want to be both mentally and technically prepared for a world without oil. The plan is a response to global climate change, rising petroleum prices and warnings by some experts that the world may soon be running out of oil."
Sweden, which was badly hit by the oil price rises in the 1970s, now gets almost all its electricity from nuclear and hydroelectric power, and relies on fossil fuels mainly for transport. Almost all its heating has been converted in the past decade to schemes which distribute steam or hot water generated by geothermal energy or waste heat. A 1980 referendum decided that nuclear power should be phased out, but this has still not been finalised.
The decision to abandon oil puts Sweden at the top of the world green league table. Iceland hopes by 2050 to power all its cars and boats with hydrogen made from electricity drawn from renewable resources, and Brazil intends to power 80% of its transport fleet with ethanol derived mainly from sugar cane within five years.
Last week George Bush surprised analysts by saying that the US was addicted to oil and should greatly reduce imports from the Middle East. The US now plans a large increase in nuclear power.
The British government, which is committed to generating 10% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2012, last month launched an energy review which has a specific remit to consider a large increase in nuclear power. But a report by accountants Ernst & Young yesterday said that the UK was falling behind in its attempt to meet its renewables target.
"The UK has Europe's best wind, wave and tidal resources yet it continues to miss out on its economic potential," said Jonathan Johns, head of renewable energy at Ernst & Young.
Energy ministry officials in Sweden said they expected the oil committee to recommend further development of biofuels derived from its massive forests, and by expanding other renewable energies such as wind and wave power.
Sweden has a head start over most countries. In 2003, 26% of all the energy consumed came from renewable sources - the EU average is 6%. Only 32% of the energy came from oil - down from 77% in 1970.
The Swedish government is working with carmakers Saab and Volvo to develop cars and lorries that burn ethanol and other biofuels. Last year the Swedish energy agency said it planned to get the public sector to move out of oil. Its health and library services are being given grants to convert from oil use and homeowners are being encouraged with green taxes. The paper and pulp industries use bark to produce energy, and sawmills burn wood chips and sawdust to generate power.
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Sweden plans to be world's first oil-free economy
· 15-year limit set for switch to renewable energy
· Biofuels favoured over further nuclear power
John Vidal, environment editor
Wednesday February 8, 2006
The Guardian
Sweden is to take the biggest energy step of any advanced western economy by trying to wean itself off oil completely within 15 years - without building a new generation of nuclear power stations.
The attempt by the country of 9 million people to become the world's first practically oil-free economy is being planned by a committee of industrialists, academics, farmers, car makers, civil servants and others, who will report to parliament in several months.
The intention, the Swedish government said yesterday, is to replace all fossil fuels with renewables before climate change destroys economies and growing oil scarcity leads to huge new price rises.
"Our dependency on oil should be broken by 2020," said Mona Sahlin, minister of sustainable development. "There shall always be better alternatives to oil, which means no house should need oil for heating, and no driver should need to turn solely to gasoline."
According to the energy committee of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, there is growing concern that global oil supplies are peaking and will shortly dwindle, and that a global economic recession could result from high oil prices.
Ms Sahlin has described oil dependency as one of the greatest problems facing the world. "A Sweden free of fossil fuels would give us enormous advantages, not least by reducing the impact from fluctuations in oil prices," she said. "The price of oil has tripled since 1996."
A government official said: "We want to be both mentally and technically prepared for a world without oil. The plan is a response to global climate change, rising petroleum prices and warnings by some experts that the world may soon be running out of oil."
Sweden, which was badly hit by the oil price rises in the 1970s, now gets almost all its electricity from nuclear and hydroelectric power, and relies on fossil fuels mainly for transport. Almost all its heating has been converted in the past decade to schemes which distribute steam or hot water generated by geothermal energy or waste heat. A 1980 referendum decided that nuclear power should be phased out, but this has still not been finalised.
The decision to abandon oil puts Sweden at the top of the world green league table. Iceland hopes by 2050 to power all its cars and boats with hydrogen made from electricity drawn from renewable resources, and Brazil intends to power 80% of its transport fleet with ethanol derived mainly from sugar cane within five years.
Last week George Bush surprised analysts by saying that the US was addicted to oil and should greatly reduce imports from the Middle East. The US now plans a large increase in nuclear power.
The British government, which is committed to generating 10% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2012, last month launched an energy review which has a specific remit to consider a large increase in nuclear power. But a report by accountants Ernst & Young yesterday said that the UK was falling behind in its attempt to meet its renewables target.
"The UK has Europe's best wind, wave and tidal resources yet it continues to miss out on its economic potential," said Jonathan Johns, head of renewable energy at Ernst & Young.
Energy ministry officials in Sweden said they expected the oil committee to recommend further development of biofuels derived from its massive forests, and by expanding other renewable energies such as wind and wave power.
Sweden has a head start over most countries. In 2003, 26% of all the energy consumed came from renewable sources - the EU average is 6%. Only 32% of the energy came from oil - down from 77% in 1970.
The Swedish government is working with carmakers Saab and Volvo to develop cars and lorries that burn ethanol and other biofuels. Last year the Swedish energy agency said it planned to get the public sector to move out of oil. Its health and library services are being given grants to convert from oil use and homeowners are being encouraged with green taxes. The paper and pulp industries use bark to produce energy, and sawmills burn wood chips and sawdust to generate power.
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Super Genius
Posts: 1,274
March 6th, 2006, 07:38 PM
Thats terrific. I am sure they will achieve it, there is a lot of advantages in what they are doing.
Economically, it makes sense to go renewable, esp over the long term.
For eg., investments in windmills now will pay off with cheap electrcity for 25 years or more. Thats where I would like to see some more taxpayer money go, now that feds and provincial governments have surpluses.
I am not impressed with the USA plan to go heavy on nuclear power tho, there are other ways that they continue to ignore, and it doesn't take a skeptic like me to see that it is for his heavy industry friends, who else has the dollars for such big investments?
What the Bush side is worried about is that some of the energy industry money would go to smaller players who set up windmills or wave-powered generators, or solar panels on all those rooftops in the industrial sections of town. I do belive that.
Karlin
Thats terrific. I am sure they will achieve it, there is a lot of advantages in what they are doing.
Economically, it makes sense to go renewable, esp over the long term.
For eg., investments in windmills now will pay off with cheap electrcity for 25 years or more. Thats where I would like to see some more taxpayer money go, now that feds and provincial governments have surpluses.
I am not impressed with the USA plan to go heavy on nuclear power tho, there are other ways that they continue to ignore, and it doesn't take a skeptic like me to see that it is for his heavy industry friends, who else has the dollars for such big investments?
What the Bush side is worried about is that some of the energy industry money would go to smaller players who set up windmills or wave-powered generators, or solar panels on all those rooftops in the industrial sections of town. I do belive that.
Karlin
Hall of Fame Member
Posts: 10,505
Location: The Evil Empire
Location: The Evil Empire
March 6th, 2006, 08:22 PM
You mean small businesses like these people?
http://www.solarsolar.com/
Try and do some research before you comment Karlin, it makes your argument much more credible.
You mean small businesses like these people?
http://www.solarsolar.com/
Try and do some research before you comment Karlin, it makes your argument much more credible.
jimmoyer
Posts: 5,040
Location: Winchester Virginia
Location: Winchester Virginia
March 6th, 2006, 08:24 PM
Karlin, I'm quite in agreement with your post.
I do believe many Americans on both left and right, are tired of the status quo of oil addiction.
They fight each other, but underneath, when you share a beer with either side you find heavy duty agreement about oil independence, and a heavy duty agreement of wanting to be pioneers of a new way.
Karlin, I'm quite in agreement with your post.
I do believe many Americans on both left and right, are tired of the status quo of oil addiction.
They fight each other, but underneath, when you share a beer with either side you find heavy duty agreement about oil independence, and a heavy duty agreement of wanting to be pioneers of a new way.
Hawkings former plumber
Posts: 10,292
Videos: 3
Location: RR1 Distopia 666 Discordia Drive Apt 911
Videos: 3
Location: RR1 Distopia 666 Discordia Drive Apt 911
March 6th, 2006, 08:57 PM
Pioneers of a new way, I like the sound of that. Evening JM
Pioneers of a new way, I like the sound of that. Evening JM
