Brussels, 13/03/2015 (Agence Europe) - The share of energy from renewable sources in the EU's gross final consumption of energy reached 15.0% in 2013, reveals a report by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, published on 10 March. This compares with 8.3% in 2004. The EU has set itself a target of 20% of its energy mix from renewable sources by 2020.
Since 2004, the share taken by renewable energy in the gross final consumption of energy has risen considerably in all member states, with 13 at least doubling their shares over the last ten years. With 52.1% in 2013, Sweden had by far the highest share of energy from renewable sources, ahead of Latvia (37.1%), Finland (36.8%) and Austria (32.6%). In contrast, the lowest proportions of renewables were found in Luxembourg (3.6%), Malta (3.8%), the Netherlands (4.5%) and the United Kingdom (5.1%).
Three member states - Bulgaria (19% against a national target of 16%), Estonia (25.6% against 25%) and Sweden (52.1% against 49%) - have already met their national 2020 targets. Lithuania (23%), Romania (23.9%) and Italy (16.7%) are less than 0.5 percentage points from their targets. At the opposite end of the scale, the United Kingdom (5.1% against a national objective of 15%), the Netherlands (4.5% against 14%), France (14.2% against 23%) and Ireland (7.8% against 16%) are the furthest away from their target.
The EU would seem not to be doing so well against its target of 10% renewable energy in the transport sector by 2020 as, in 2013, it had only reached a 5.4% share, with biofuels representing 75% of that total. Sweden (16.7% of renewables in transport) was the only member state to have already reached the target though Finland (9.9%) was very close to achieving it. Most member states are around half-way to their 2020 objective. Austria (7.5%), France (7.2%) and Poland (6%) are well-placed, but Estonia (0.2%), Spain (0.4%) and Portugal (0.7%) are still far from the achieving the target.
Becoming a global leader, conference in Brussels on 17 March. Within its new strategy on building an energy union and putting into practice the commitment by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, the Commission is holding a conference in Brussels on 17 March on achieving the EU's green energy objectives for 2020 and 2030. Debate will focus on the political and regulatory frameworks for renewable energy and technological innovation in this sector. The conference will be opened by Climate and Energy Commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete. (Emmanuel Hagry)