Renewable fuels

In a new report, the Norwegian Energy Council recommends that Norway build three to five new offshore windmill parks in the next 10-15 years. The EU has stated it's goal that 20% of energy consumption in Europe should be from renewable sources within 2020, which opens a huge market. The Energy Council recommends that Norway capture around 20% of this market.

Personally, I think this a splendid idea. In a long-term perspective, we have no other choice than going over from carbon-based fuels to renewable ones. It is a choice of doing that or perish.

Norway has got both the money and the talent to be able to get ahead in this sector. In December 1969 we were blessed with finding oil in the North Sea. Prudent oil-policies has left us with a sovereign wealth fund worth from 2.000 to 2.800 billion NOK (roughly 200-280 billion british pounds). And due to the budgetary rule, this is a fund that will not be eaten away any time soon. It is a fund that will secure a relatively bright future for Norway in all foreseeable future. Oil has also left us with know-how that can be transferred to off-shore wind-power. We have after all been working off-shore for around 40 years with oil.

Being a nation that can thank our wealth to a large extent to oil, it would also be the ethical thing to do. After having amassed huge amounts of money on a type of energy that is having a detrimental effect on the globe, it would be the most ethically correct thing to use some of that on research and development of types of energy that is more environmentally friendly.