Rhein on Energy and Climate

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Until the end of 2009 Lithuania had depended for most of its electricity on two reactors of the unsafe Chernobyl type, which the country had to close down as a pre-condition for EU membership. In order not to depend excessively on Russian gas and electricity supply the government decided to replace its two former nuclear… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

Most European citizens have no clear idea how “rich” the country they live in is compared to the other 26 EU member states. And few will score 100% when asked to give the correct rating for each of the 27. Thanks to a comparative EUROSTAT analysis of per capita incomes (in purchasing power parities) in… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

For the last 10 ten years European wind and solar industries have scored nothing but victories. The demand for renewable energy was steadily rising, helped be generous feed-in tariffs, allowing them to widen production capacities, improve technology, pioneer off-shore technologies and enter markets beyond the EU, in particular USA. Thus the annual installed wind capacity… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

(Presentation to Austrian Consultants, Vienna 26.11. 2010) In the coming 40 years Europe will be confronted with two overriding challenges: • Make its energy supply essentially C02 emission-free as part of the global fight against climate change and energy security; • Maintain its competitiveness in an increasingly harsher global environment. I. To make its energy… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

For the last 40 years Europe has been struggling for a single patent comparable to patents issued by the US Patent Office. The patents granted by the European Patent Office in Munich are only valid in the 37 signatory countries of the 1973 European Patent Convention, after due translation into the respective national languages. This… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

The impossible America

Humanity owes a lot to the America. It has been the cradle of democracy and human rights. Its Constitution – adopted in 1787 and basically unchanged since –is one of the most precious and well-formulated political documents ever written. Europe owes America an enormous gratitude for having sacrificed its service men in 1944-45 to liberate… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

After GM, Nissan and Peugeot BMW has decided to enter manufacturing of electric cars. On November 5th 2010, it has inaugurated its new building site in Leipzig where it hopes to produce several ten thousand “Megacity” vehicles per year as of 2013-14. Thanks to political and multi-billion Dollar financial support from governments across the world,… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

Global population keeps rising at an annual rate of about 75 million people per year¸ which is absolutely unsustainable. Continuing at this rate global population will require 30 percent more food and water by 2030, while agricultural land and fertility are coming under increasing pressure from urban growth, economic infrastructure, soil erosion and climate change.… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

I report on the single most important event of the past few weeks: the meeting of the European Council October 28/29th, which was almost completely devoted to the hot issue of European economic governance. Ignoring the nasty haggling and mounting suspicions caused by the “Deauville” Franco-German “accord” the European Council has substantially advanced the debate… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein