Analytics, Ecology, Energy, EU – Baltic States, Modern EU, Technology

Renewable energy sources, according to the EU accounts, cover solar, thermal and photovoltaic energy, hydro (including tide, wave and ocean energy), wind, geothermal energy as well as all forms of biomass (including biological waste and liquid biofuels); the contribution of renewable energy from heat pumps is also covered. Only renewable energy delivered to final consumers, i.e. industry, transport, households, services (including public services), agriculture, forestry and fisheries is calculated in the Eurostat’s data.

Gross final energy consumption of all energy sources, covers total energy delivered for energy purposes to final consumers as well as the transmission and distribution losses for electricity and heat. It should be noted that exports/imports of electricity are not considered as renewable energy. However, statistical transfers and other flexibility measures reported to Eurostat and complying with the requirements of Directive 2009/28/EC (art. 6-11) on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources are also considered “as renewables”. Presently, only Sweden, Norway, Luxembourg, Estonia and Lithuania are using these flexibility measures.

The national shares of energy from renewable sources in gross final energy consumption are calculated also according to specific calculation provisions of Directive 2009/28/EC on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources and Commission Decision 2013/114/EU establishing the guidelines for the EU states on calculating renewable energy from heat pumps from different heat pump technologies.

Electricity production from hydro power and wind power is accounted according to normalisation rules of Annex II of Directive 2009/28/EC. Since 2011, only biofuels and bio-liquids declared by countries as compliant with criteria of sustainability as defined in Articles 17 and 18 of Directive 2009/28/EC are accounted towards the share of energy from renewable sources.

Reference to: https://ec.europa.eu/energy/en/topics/renewable-energy

Countries’ profiles

Sweden had by far the highest share, lowest share in the Netherlands. Compared with 2017, in 2018 the share of renewable sources in gross final energy consumption increased in 21 of the 28 EU states, while remaining stable in one and decreasing in six states.

Since 2004, it has significantly grown in all EU states: Sweden has had by far the highest share in 2018 with more than half (54.6%) of its energy coming from renewable sources, ahead of Finland(41.2%), Latvia(40.3%), Denmark(36.1%) and Austria(33.4%).

At the opposite end of the scale, the lowest proportion of renewables was registered in the Netherlands - 7.4%; low shares, less than ten percent, were also recorded in Malta - 8.0%, Luxembourg - 9.1% and Belgium - 9.4%.

The share of energy from renewable sources in gross final energy consumption reached 18.0 per cent in the EU-28, up from 17.5 per cent in 2017and more than double the share in 2004 (8.5%), the first year for which the data are available. The increase in the share of renewables is essential to reach the EU climate and energy goals.

The EU's target is to reach 20% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020 and at least 32% by 2030. Among the EU-28 states, 12 countries have already reached a share equal to or above their national 2020 binding targets: Bulgaria, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Croatia, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Cyprus, Finland and Sweden.

General reference at: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/10335438/8-23012020-AP-EN.pdf/292cf2e5-8870-4525-7ad7-188864ba0c29