It’s been a while coming, but with the latest shake-up in the Middle East – this time in Libya  – media and political voices are beginning to call ever more loudly and forcefully for the world to re-think its dependence on oil.

This weekend the UK’s Observer newspaper reported the British government’s decision to adopt a “Carbon Plan” to try and “wean the country off oil” in the wake of the Libyan crisis.

The energy secretary, Chris Huhne, said that “Getting off the oil hook is made all the more urgent by the crisis in the Middle East. We cannot afford to go on relying on such a volatile source of energy when we can have clean, green and secure energy from low-carbon sources.”

In less than a quarter of the lifetime of a fossil fuel power plant, Europe’s progressive energy policies that have done so much to promote wind power and other renewable energies will run out.

This looming energy policy vacuum will be the focus of top level discussions at Europe’s largest wind power conference and exhibition. Hosted by the European Wind Energy Association, the conference and exhibition held in Brussels from 14-17 March will feature 200 top speakers, live debates, high-quality sessions covering a variety of topics and 300 specialist presentations.

More than 7,000 visitors and over 400 exhibitors are expected at the event, which is spread out over 13,000 square metres, making it EWEA’s largest exhibition ever.

The company owned by the world’s third richest person may have more installed wind power capacity in the US than any other regulated electricity utility in the nation by the end of the year.

In his annual letter to the shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., CEO Warren Buffett said MidAmerican Energy, a subsidiary company, has invested in or is committed to investing more than €3.6 billion in wind farms.

“MidAmerican will have 2,909 megawatts of wind generation in operation by the end of 2011, more than any other regulated electric utility in the country,” Buffett, who is ranked at having a personal wealth of €34 billion, said last week in his annual report.

In a joint declaration released today in Brussels, six European energy industry CEOs called on the EU to adopt a greenhouse gas emissions reduction target of at least 25% by 2020.

“We urge European leaders to move beyond the 20% economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions reduction target by 2020,” the declaration said. “This would contribute to a healthy and market driven EU investment climate for sustainable energy and put Europe back in the driving seat in the transition to a prosperous, low-carbon Europe.”

The signed declaration noted that recent international climate change negotiations didn’t have the result many had hoped for and which science indicates is required. It also noted that the focus on effective climate change policies and their importance for the EU’s energy system seems to have lost momentum.

Indonesia, the world’s fourth most populated nation, is about to begin developing wind power, an energy official said on Monday.

The country’s first large-scale wind power plant will be built in Sukabumi, West Java, later this year this with a total capacity of 30 megawatts, according to a news report in The Jakarta Post.

The story noted PLN renewable energy division head Muhammad Sofyan, said that the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry had approved the project and local energy firm Viron Energy was waiting for the ministry to issue an official permit to begin construction.