Energy security for present and future generations – is the legal framework for the development of renewable energy technologies in the European Union effective?
Ensuring secure supply for present and future generations has always been an issue since medieval times. It may even have become more critical in recent times as world supplies of conventional sources of energy face increasing challenges of reserves depletion occasioned by uncontrolled and unsustainable consumption. It is argued that the present generation has obligations towards future generations to ensure that existing energy reserves are not depleted while at the same time developing new and alternative sustainable energy sources. One of the ways out of this dilemma is the development of renewable energy technologies. The research sets out to determine how effective the law is in the development of renewable energy technologies within the European Union in furtherance of this obligation.The EU has evolved a legal framework through directives and regulations for the development of these technologies to ensure energy security. However, the argument is that the legal framework is not effective enough. This is due to some reasons including the lack of enforcement mechanisms and the fact that such existing laws are subsumed under general energy policy of the EU. As such, there is inadequate focus on renewables. Furthermore, the existing legal framework has a background rooted in climate change considerations such as carbon emission reduction. The research therefore suggests a separate legal regime for renewables.It is established that, even though the existing legal framework has gone a long way to assist renewable energy technologies, there may be a need for a separate legal framework to ensure an adequate focus on renewables in furtherance of the obligation to future generations.
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