Climate notes: Secure and non-polluting supply of electricity - mutually exclusive goals?

The security of the electricity supply is a major energy-policy goal of the European Union. A further elementary component of European energy policies is the environmental compatibility of the energy supply. The 20-20-20 climate goals include an increase in the share of renewable energy sources in electricity production of 20 percent. A major problem of renewable energy, however, is that its availability is insecure. This results in a conflict of aims between increasingly sustainable electric power production and the level of the supply security. This article examines the interplay between ecological and technical-security aspects of the electricity supply in Europe.