Brussels, 18/01/2005 (Agence Europe) - In its EurObserv'ER Barometer on renewable energy in 2004, a tool to precisely measure the progress made by renewable energies in each sector and for each member country of the European Union, created by Observ'ER in 1998, EurObserv'ER (the European renewable energy monitoring centre) predicts that the EU will not meet its target of generating 12% of energy from renewable sources by 2010. In 2003, the EurObserv'ER explains that the EU only generated 5.48% of energy from renewable sources, well below the target. It criticises the falling percentage of renewable energy, regretting that the past three years have seen a reduction since renewables accounted for 5.6% of energy consumption in 2001 and 5.02% in 2002). The current speed of change is too slow and the policies already implemented will only manage a level of around 10% (at best) for the EU15. Similar results are observed for renewable energy sources' share of gross electricity consumption. EurObserv'ER estimates green electricity accounting for 14.88% in 2003, a 0.5% rise on 2002 (the EU25's 2010 target is 21%). This is largely explained by the severe drought experiences in many countries which produce hydroelectric power. Wind-power, wood-energy and biogas accounted for most of the renewable energy sources in 2003, explains EurObserv'ER. It is in Sweden that renewable energy sources' share of total inland consumption reached the highest level in 2003, at 27.55%, followed by Finland (21.78%), Austria (20.34%), Portugal (15.78%), Denmark (9.34%), Spain (6.78%), France (5.79%), Greece (5.18%), Italy (3.58%), Italy (3.58%), Germany (2.97%), Ireland (1.89%), the UK (1.58%), the Netherlands (1.24%), Belgium (0.95%). Luxembourg (0.62%) brings up the rear. Austria is the country with the best green energy performance out of the EU15 with 59.17% of gross electricity consumption coming from renewable sources (and a national target of 78.1% by 2010). It is followed by Sweden (42.2%), Portugal (41.85%, the only country which exceeds the target it set itself, viz. 39%), Spain (26.17%), Finland (23.36%), Denmark (23.02%), Italy (14.42%), France (13.5%), Greece (10.69%), Germany (8.98%), Ireland (8.93%), the Netherlands (3.83%), the UK (2.88%), Luxembourg (2.71%) and Belgium (1.22%).
The European Barometer notes that in 2003 the share of wind power in the EU15 rose by 22.12% to 74% of the world's windpower capacity. Germany is the biggest generator of windpower (with 21.8% more windpower plants being built in 2003), ahead of Spain and Denmark, with the development of offshore units and replacing windfarms more than 10 years old (and hence of lower capacity). The EU produced 1743000 tonnes of biofuel in 2003, a 26.1% rise on 2002, with biodiesel accounting for 82.2% of European biofuel production totals, with bioethanol the second most common biofuel. On the biodiesel market, Germany is the leading producer, at 715,000 tonnes, with Denmark and the UK standing out for the increase in their biodiesel share, which rose 0.63 and 4 times respectively. Spain did not produce any biodiesel in 2002, but produced 6000 tonnes in 2003. On the bioethanol market, Spain leads the way, producing 180,000 tonnes in 2003, well ahead of the next in line, France with 77,200 tonnes. In 2003, the hike in photovoltaic panels in the EU continued, rising nearly 46% in a year. Germany is the leading solar energy market. The number of thermal solar energy panels in the European Union rose 22% on 2002, to 14 million square metres. Greece and Austria lead the way for solar energy, with Germany experiencing the biggest increases in 2003. The number of small hydraulic plants in the European Union changed very little in 2003 since despite great potential, small hydraulic power plants come up against serious nimby opposition. The market leaders are Italy and France. Biogas production in the EU15 rose 7.3% in 2003 on 2002, with the UK leading the way here, producing nearly 35.8% of EU biogas in 2003. Wood-energy saw a rise of 6.1% in the EU15 in 2003 on 2002. The market leaders are France, Sweden and Finland. EU15 geothermic electricity generating capacity is dominated by Italy (96%), while Sweden leads the way in thermal heat pumps, with half the EU's capacity. It produces more than 25% of the EU's thermal heat pump energy capacity.
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