Brussels, 14/07/2010 (Agence Europe) - According to Eurostat estimates published on Tuesday13 July, energy from renewable sources was estimated to have contributed 10.3% of gross final energy consumption in the EU27 in 2008, compared with 9.7% in 2007 and 8.8% in 2006. Eurostat notes the highest share of renewable energy in total consumption in 2008 was found in Sweden (44.4% of renewable energy sources in total consumption), Finland (30.5%), Latvia (29.9%), Austria (28.5%) and Portugal (23.2%), and the lowest in Malta (0.2%), Luxembourg (2.1%), the United Kingdom (2.2%), the Netherlands (3.2%) and Belgium (3.3%). The 2009 Directive on renewable energy set individual targets for all Member States, so that the EU will reach a 20% share of total energy consumption from renewable sources by 2020. These targets take into account the member states' different starting points, renewable energy potential and economic performance.
Renewable energy sources cover solar thermal and photovoltaic energy, hydro (including tide, wave and ocean energy), wind, geothermal energy and biomass (including biological waste and liquid biofuels). The contribution of renewable energy from heat pumps is also covered for the member states for which this information was available. The energy delivered to final consumers (industry, transport, households, services, etc.) from these sources is the nominator of the target. The denominator, the gross final energy consumption of all energy sources, covers total energy delivered to final consumers (industry, transport, households, services, etc.) as well as energy lost in the production, transmission and distribution of electricity and heat.
Each of the 27 member states' share of renewable energies in the final gross energy consumption in 2007 and 2008, as well as the target for 2020 are as follows: Germany (9%, 8.9%, 18%), Austria (26.6%, 28.5%, 34%), Belgium (3%, 3.3%, 13%), Bulgaria (9.1%, 9.4%, 16%), Cyprus (3.1%, 4.1%, 13%), Denmark (18.1%, 18.8%, 30%), Spain (9.6%, 10.7%, 20%), Estonia (17.1%, 19.1%, 25%), Finland (28.9%, 30.5%, 38%), France (10.2%, 11%, 23%), Greece (8.1%, 8%, 18%), Hungary (6%, 6.6%, 13%), Ireland (3.4%, 3.8%, 16%), Italy (5.2%, 6.8%, 17%), Latvia (29.7%, 29.9%, 40%), Lithuania (14.2%, 15.3%, 23%), Luxembourg (2%, 2.1%, 11%), Malta (0.2%, 0.2%, 10%), Netherlands (3%, 3.2%, 14%), Poland (7.4%, 7.9%, 15%), Portugal (22.2%, 23.2%, 31%), Czech Republic (7.3%, 7.2%, 13%), Romania (18.7%, 20.4%, 24%), United Kingdom (1.7%, 2.2%, 15%), Slovenia (15.6%, 15.1%, 25%), Slovakia (7.4%, 8.4%, 14%) and Sweden (44.2%, 44.4%, 49%). (E.H./transl.fl)