Energy matter
Energy and matter, two sides of Ethe same
coin as Albert Einstein expressed his thesis. There has
been an enormous rise in energy demand since the middle
of the last century. That increase has resulted from not
only rapid industrial development but also from the population
growth. Between 1850 and 1970, world population multiplied
by 3.2 times, and total energy use increased more than 12-fold.
According to the recent forecast for the International Energy
Agency, electricity demand will increase by about 30% in
Europe by 2020.
It will be more than double in Asia and the
rest of the world. Despite the importance of energy to every
aspect of our lives, many Europeans are not adequately armed
with the basic energy knowledge to make informed decisions
or determine what can be done to manage and conserve energy
resources. At a community level we have to increase this
knowledgebase and supply the necessary infrastructure for
a new mix of energy sources bearing in mind the dependence
and fragili of the distribution grids. This has to be combined
with our concern regarding the effect on our global and
local economy for both private and public consumers. All
this has to be consistent with our environmental goals and
targets connected to energy production and consumption.
Energy in Europe
Modern civilization is based on access to energy. All cities
and surrounding communities are dependent on the access
to power, heat and light in one way or another. Constant
fluctuations on the energy market and emerging new technologies
create a complex matrix of long and short-term facts that
have to be considered at every level of both public and
private sector. The New Green Book from EU labelled "A
European Strategy for Sustainable, Competitive and Secure
Energy" will give attention to this matter for a long
time since we are transforming into a new energy market
with no borders. A common European energy market is emerging
on the horizon, and the Baltic Region that climatologically
differs from Central and Western Europe, will be a focus
point. Oskarshamn municipality in Sweden is therefore promoting
the creation of the UBC Energy Commission in order to establish
a center of excellence for member cities in the Baltic region.
For more knowledge in the Baltic Sea
RegionIn order to share and distribute knowledge about the
best practices in this area there is a need for the UBC
Energy Commission. The proposed Commission will have the
following objectives as a starting point:
- to display the wide range of different energy projects
covering a diversified mix of interesting technologies
and plans concerning cities and local residential areas.
- to organize specific symposiums and meetings and publish
reports in order to share knowledge covering the scope
of our mission among the cities included in the UBC to
actively take part in training, education, research and
development of interest to the member cities based on
external funding from EU ! and other sources.
- to promote and lobby for the local perspective on energy
policies based on regional, national and international
interests.
Particularly renewable energy sources like
hydro, wind, wave and bio-energy will be investigated from
a local perspective as well as the possibilities of increasing
efficiency and reducing the fumes of carbon dioxide, especially
within the transport sector. It is therefore vital that
we can share knowledge regarding best practices in the field
of energy efficiency & savings. From the local perspective
it is also important to keep a close eye on the power grid
and supply pipes from a perspective of security, durability
and possible environmental impact.
 Nuclear
power
Any discussion about clean energy should also include nuclear
power. The lack of carbon depletion and avoidance of million
of tons of emissions (NOx, SOx and
CO2) make modern nuclear power one of the cleaner
energy sources capable of generating huge power output.
There are some key issues to be resolved before nuclear
energy will enjoy public resurgence in Scandinavia, Germany
and some other countries. First is of course Thnding acceptable
solutions for transportation and storage of nuclear waste.
Second is the industry's need for a supportive administration
over a long period of time. The third issue is that the
technology's risks and rewards have to be thoroughly understood
by the investing community. Oskarshamn has over 30 years
of experience of production of nuclear power and is one
of two contenders for hosting the first nuclear waste disposal
facility of Sweden. So Oskarshamn is already a centre of
excellence in all these areas with extensive research facilities
and are willing to share and further enhance its expertise
in this field.
 Energy
from the local perspective
Baltic states as well as Russia and large parts of Europe
are attached to power grids and pipelines crossing the continent.
New one is under way from Norway and others from Russia
under the Baltic Sea. This infrastructure has been little
debated and the knowledge is scarce. The municipality of
Oskarshamn, according to the question of nuclear waste,
has got a long experience of working with complex energy-related
questions related to the perspective of democracy. A new
UBC Energy commission has to report status, facts and bring
the case to its members for discussion. In this respect
it is important to establish the UBC Energy Commission as
one forum and a power broker within the EU policy making
structure, defending the municipal perspective. The UBC's
emerging representation office in Brussels can be a vital
contact point for policy makers interested in these and
other related matters. The future brings a whole lot of
options with great potential combined with various renewable
energy technologies that can form a new blend of energy
sources for our cities and communities. We need to address
these issues since we know that our way of life will demand
more energy in the future. We better start right now to
explore our regions energy mix and the future infrastructure
in order to facilitate both growth and environmental sustainability.
Oskarshamn is seeking other member cities
to join us in the effort to establish the UBC Energy Commission.
We are prepared to host the secretariat and to provide the
administrative backbone. We will add our research and cooperation
from our local cluster of diversified energy industry. This
will be combined with the power of the UBC infrastructure
to make the new Energy Commission a success and a valuable
resource in the development of our communities.
by Mr Stefan Windh, Chairman of the International
Committee, Oskarshamn
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