BALTIMORE, MD -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 01/12/07 -- There is a new industrial revolution underway worldwide, and Europe is in the vanguard. This sea change in the politics of power will be felt from Birmingham to Bucharest and beyond.

On Wednesday, January 12, the European Union unveiled a new energy strategy. The continental body has committed itself and its members to a heady goal -- deriving 20% of its energy consumption from renewable (non-fossil) sources by 2020 while reducing carbon emissions by the same amount.

Sam Hopkins, research analyst and editor of international financial newsletter "Orbus Investor," has traveled extensively in Europe and spoken to the leaders of this new wave of energy development.

"This policy change marks an official reaction to something Europeans already know -- that their fuel sources are too limited for the growth they desire," Hopkins says.

At Latvia's Department of Energy this past summer, Hopkins noticed the tone used when talking about Russia, supplier of the bulk of Europe's oil and gas.

"My contact affirmed that Russia is a very significant supplier in Europe," Hopkins says of his meeting, "but there was a tone of doubt in his voice, as if he were an edgy hostage allowed to speak 'freely' though the room was bugged."

The start of 2007 amplified the European sense of captivity to Russia, which is not a member of the EU. Russia and its neighbor Belarus engaged in a price dispute much like one between Russia and Ukraine in early 2006. In both cases, the fuel flow westward was halted at the peak of winter.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that with this incident Moscow had "destroyed trust" that it could be a responsible steward of its energy endowment. "Trust doesn't even begin to rival the ultimate goal, which is power," Hopkins observes. "The new European energy strategy is as political as it is practical. The EU has to regain leverage by taking the reins of its energy policy and industry."

Before the EU set its goal, the United Kingdom had already taken strides toward its own 20% target. Hopkins has written a report, based on his research in Great Britain, detailing what is being done to meet the energy challenge on a national and continental level.

Hopkins is offering his newest report, "The UK Renewable Revolution," for free. You can access his report by following this link: http://www.orbusinvestor.com/subscribe/442

Sam Hopkins is editor of "Orbus Investor," an investment advisory service that focuses on international investment opportunities. "Orbus Investor" is published by Angel Publishing.

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