Sartori, G. (2011). Will Europe achieve its renewable energy targets? : a legal, technological and economic analysis of the wind energy sector in Italy, France and the UK [Master Thesis, Technische Universität Wien]. reposiTUm. https://resolver.obvsg.at/urn:nbn:at:at-ubtuw:1-50857
In 2008, the European Commission has set a frame of targets to speed up the transition towards a low carbon economy, including a 20% achievement of renewable energy share in final energy consumption by 2020. In order to reach such an ambitious goal, all European countries are adopting different support strategies and wind energy has emerged as one of the most promising solutions to reach these targets. However, the speed of wind power deployment in the different European countries has been markedly different over the past decade. In this paper, the specific situations of three representative countries (Italy, France and the UK) are examined to assess whether the European targets are likely to be achieved. The wind sector is analysed from three different points of view - legal, technological and economic. Regulatory issues and support schemes prove to be critical in the deployment process, as investments rates are highly dependant on them. Technology, industry development, costs and electricity prices are also investigated and compared. Final considerations are drown based on what emerged from the analysis.