Brussels, 14/03/2014 (Agence Europe) - In 2012, energy from renewable sources was estimated to have contributed 14.1% of gross final energy consumption in the EU28. Although it looks like the 20% target could be reached by the EU28, there are still some member states lagging behind - Malta, Luxembourg, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
According to figures published by Eurostat on 10 March, renewable energy sources represented 14.1% off the EU's final energy consumption in 2012. In 2004, the first year data was made available on this issue, the share of renewables stood at 8.3%, rising to 10% in 2007, 12.5% in 2010 and 13% in 2011. The EU is therefore on course to achieving its 20% renewables target by 2020.
After Estonia, which reached 25% in 2011, Bulgaria and Sweden are the first countries in 2012 to go further than their 2020 national targets (16% and 49% respectively). At the other end of the spectrum, Malta is lagging behind with just a 1.4% renewables share in 2012. It is therefore a long way away from its 10% target in 2020. The same goes for Luxembourg, whose percentage of green energies stood at 3.1% in 2012 in relation to its 11% target, the United Kingdom (4.2% in relation to its 14% target) and the Netherlands (4.5% out of 15% target). With 13.4% of renewables in 2012, France will really need to step up its efforts to achieve its 23% target in 2020. Outside the EU, Norway has witnessed its percentage of renewables increase from 58.1% in 2004 to 67.5% in 2012.
Renewable energies generate 23.55% of the electricity produced in the EU (hydroelectricity, wind and solar), 5.11% of the energy consumed in the transport sector (mainly biofuels) and 15.6% of the energy used for producing heat or cooling (including biomass and heat pumps). (EH)