In order to move away from Russian energy, the European Commission will promote rationing by making solar panels compulsory.
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, announced Wednesday that she would increase EU’s renewable energy goals and invest billions in clean energy to help break free from Russian oil imports. Consumers will pay a price, however, with the EU’s plan including energy rationing and compulsory solar panels on homes.
Von der Leyen’s ‘REPowerEU’ plan would cut the EU’s reliance on Russian gas by 66% this year and eliminate it entirely by 2027, the bloc’s policy chief told reporters in Brussels.
The plan will see the EU increase its Energy Efficiency Target to 13% from 9% to 13% and increase from 40% to 45 percent the proportion of renewable energy by 2030. Currently, 22% of the EU’s energy comes from renewables.
To achieve this, von der Leyen said that the EU would speed up the permitting procedure for renewable projects such as wind farms and would make €300 billion ($315 billion) available in grants and loans. Of this funding, 95% would be set aside for green energy, while 5% would be used to upgrade Europe’s gas and oil infrastructure to receive imports from sources other than Russia.
Some of these immediate costs, however, will be covered by the consumers. According to the European Commission’s website, households and industry will be required to make “behavioral changes” – such as turning down air conditioning and switching off lights – to reduce demand for oil and gas by 5%. By 2025, all commercial and public buildings are required to have rooftop solar panels installed. These panels will also be mandatory for residential buildings by 2029.
Individual member states have requested their citizens cut back on their energy usage. Germany, which depends on Russia for more than half of its gas and was already facing the world’s highest energy costs due to its flawed transition to wind power, has asked its population to shower less and swap their cars for bicycles in order to save costs.
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated Tuesday that European countries were committing economic crimes, despite consumers in the EU struggling with record fuel prices and skyrocketing inflation. “suicide”By trying to wean them off Russian oil and gasoline, they are accused of succumbing to the demands “from their American overlord”Without “paying any attention to the damage that they have already caused their own economy.”
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