Countries of European Union (EU) have set ambitious goal to increase share of renewable energy sources from 8.5% to 20% in the overall energy consumption in EU by year 2020. This renewable energy increase is necessary contribution to the global fight against climate change and big step towards better control over energy dependence which is also very important goal for EU countries. Better control over energy dependence is necessary because rising oil prices and unstable political and economical situation in Ukraine which can lead to shortage in natural gas supplies from Russia. This EU initiative in renewable energy field is providing over 350.000 jobs with annual turnover around €30 billion, and that makes European Union world leader in the use and deployment of technologies for exploitation of renewable energy sources. European Union is not concentrating on some specific renewable energy source, so there are a lot of various renewable energy technologies included into this project. Some of most promising renewable energy technologies are listed below in this article (from video).

The Sun is by far the largest energy source in the solar system. Amount of the solar energy that is every minute reaching Earth is enough to satisfy annual energetic needs of the mankind at the current stage of development. Despite its huge potential, only small percentage of energetic needs is covered with the use of solar energy. This is partially because of the slow development of current technologies that are using solar energy, although the main reason lies in the current price of the system that is used for exploiting the solar energy.

Technical design of nuclear power stations can be roughly divided on the generations of nuclear power stations. First generation was developed in last century, more precisely in 50’s and 60’s and this type of power stations is no longer in use, because these were early prototypes. Nuclear power stations of second generation began with their construction in 70’s and large majority of today’s nuclear power stations was built on principles of this second generation. First third generation’s nuclear reactor was built in Japan and began with work in 1996. This reactor is example of the third generation’s early design and in this moment building of the power stations that will please the standards of third generation’s new improved design has also begun. This improved design is also called III+ generation of reactors. First III+ reactor should be finished and set to work in year 2009 in Finland, on island Olkiluoto. Momentarily, in conceptual phase are designs of nuclear installments of forth and fifth generation, but their use should not start before year 2030.

Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) is the method of generating electrical energy which uses difference in temperature that exists between shallow and deep waters of the oceans. Sun continuously warms oceans' surfaces which cover about 70% of the Earth's surface and in this process considerable temperature difference is creating itself, between surface and deep waters and can be used for generating enormous quantities of electrical energy with advantage that it doesn't pollute environment nor exhaust dangerous greenhouse gases. Warm surface waters and cold deep waters are the result of ocean streams which are heating the water in parts of the ocean near the equator, and cooling water in areas near North Pole and this cold water streams on ocean's bottom towards equator.