Trends in energy industry call for a new paradigm search

摘要

World energy industry is undergoing significant changes. Accidentally or not, the signs of visible change coincide with the beginning of global economic crisis. In this period the United States made a huge technology breakthrough in exploration and production of shale gas which resulted in large increase of gas production. The production of unconventional oil is following the upward trend of unconventional gas output. The growing US hydrocarbons production at competitive costs, enable US industry to enhance competitiveness of exporting goods, thanks to cheaper energy, in comparison with their key competitors: the EU, China and Far East. On the other hand, Europe has opted to take a lead in protection of the environment and curbing harmful emissions. Its commitment in pursuing this policy is reflected in EU energy strategy by 2020 based on 20:20:20 targets of the climate and energy package. The policy involves increase of renewables to 20% in total energy consumption. Croatia, as a new EU member, must and should follow the objectives of the EU energy strategy. Considering relatively high dependence on energy imports, and deep economic crisis in the past six years, more intensive development of renewable energy sources and their use could provide an impetus to the Croatian industry development, and the share of 20% RES could formally be met. However, it should be taken into account that renewables are not economically self-sustainable: they need subsidies and back up energy. Research and development results in some technologically advanced EU countries show that some new conceptual solutions are sought and found, which contribute to improved economics of RES and power generation, as for example power-to-gas energy storage concept. The time has come for new energy paradigms to replace the old ones. New challenges cannot be resolved by old patterns. Therefore, the design of the new energy strategy should be seriously considered.