Renewable Energy. Is there a Latvian Master Plan?

Global energy demand continues to grow. Crude oil production is stagnating, coal's production cost is rising fast on the back of carbon pricing, electricity generating capacity is getting old and nuclear power has its own environmental and political issues. In addition there is the concern about climate change where the man-made CO2 emissions are the primary source of global warming. The need for more electricity and the environmental concerns drive the focus towards the renewable energy sector. Furthermore, countries are concerned about energy security, and countries urge to diversify supplies, both in terms of generation type and of geographical source. This is especially true also for Latvia that, due to its limited domestic energy resources, is one of the most dependent countries on imported energy resources with the European Union. Domestic production of primary energy in Latvian accounts for 35 per cent of total production, with the remaining 65 per cent being imported. Furthermore, oil and gas-fuelled power stations count for more than 60 per cent of the total domestic production and hence representing the largest source of primary energy in Latvia and the gas and oil supplies are fully imported.