Brussels, 16/06/2015 (Agence Europe) - The most recent European Commission report on member states' progress to achieving the targets set out for 2020 on renewable energies was published on Tuesday 16 June. This report shows that the EU is on track for attaining its binding 20% target of renewables being included in the energy cluster.
According to forecasts, the share of renewable energies in the EU's final energy consumption stood at 15.3% in 2014. This is slightly above its interim 15% target for 2013-2014 and the Commission is pleased with the progress being made.
According to the report, 25 member states are expected to meet their 2013/2014 interim targets and 19 of them are expected to supersede their respective national targets for 2020. Nonetheless, given the fact that the interim targets will be more ambitious in the next few years, some countries will have to step up their efforts to remain on track, particularly with regard to the use of cooperation mechanisms with other member states, as stipulated in the 2009 “renewables” directive, warned the Commission.
Only three countries were lagging behind in 2013 with regard to their targets for 2013/2014: Luxembourg (with 3.6% share for an interim target of 3.9% and a final target of 11%), the Netherlands (with a 4.5% share of an interim target of 5.9% and a final target of 14%) and the United Kingdom (with a 5.1% share for an interim target of 5.4% and a final target of 15%).
In addition to these three countries, Belgium (with a 7.9% share for an interim target of 5.4% and a final target of 14%), France (with a 14.2% share for an interim target of 14.1% and a final target of 23%), Malta (with a 3.8% share for an interim target of 3% and final target of 10%) and Spain (with a 15.4% share for an interim target of 12.1% and final target of 20%) will also have to see whether their policies are sufficient for attaining their national targets by 2020.
Hungary (with a 9.8% share for an interim target of 6.9% and final target of 13%) and Poland (with an 11.3% share for an interim target of 9.5% and final target of 15%) will not reach their targets by 2020, excluding the most optimistic of hypotheses.
According to a projected share of 5.7% renewable energy in transport in 2014, achieving the 10% target is challenging but remains feasible, with good progress in some member states, explains the Commission.
The report shows that the renewable energy directive is working: the deployment of renewable energy resulted in around 326 Mt of gross avoided CO2 emissions in 2012 and 388 Mt in 2013, and a reduction in the EU demand of fossil fuels of 116 Mt in 2013. Furthermore, for the EU's security of energy supply: the renewable energy substitution of natural gas made up 30% of all avoided fossil fuel use in 2013 and almost half of member states reduced their gross inland consumption of natural gas by at least 7%. Moreover, renewable energy is becoming a widely accepted, mainstream source of energy with the 2020 targets being a key driver for European-led global investment in renewables and supportive energy policies far beyond Europe's borders, the Commission report finds. “ We have 3 times more renewable power per capita in Europe than anywhere else in the rest of the world. We have more than 1 million people working in the renewable energy sector worth over 130bn euros a year. We export 35 billion euros worth of renewables every year” said Miguel Arias Cañete, commissioner for climate action and energy. (Emmanuel Hagry)