Answer is blowing in the North Sea wind

Nine energy ministers have signed a declaration to set up a grid connecting present and future wind farms in the North Sea, announces De Morgen. A “red-letter deal”, headlines the Flemish daily, explaining that the participating countries (Belgium, France, Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, Great Britain, Ireland, Sweden and Denmark) have thereby guaranteed their future energy supply. Even in the unlikely event of a windless day in the entire area, Norway has signed up to the project to supply hydro power, adds the paper. By 2020 the EU aims to generate 150 gigawatts of wind power (as against 7 GW pro tem), which will involve stepping up turbine construction. Bart Bode, head of the Flemish Sustainable Energy Organisation, hopes the project will have knock-on effects: “Why not set up a solar power grid in the Mediterranean countries?”