Topic of the Week - Europe on track to meet renewable energy goals

European Union Member States are showing mixed progress towards three climate and energy targets for 2020, even though the EU as a whole could reduce greenhouse gases emissions by 21% in 2020 with the set of national measures already adopted. These findings come from new European Environment Agency (EEA) assessments.

The European Environmental Agency (EEA) has released a report which states that the EU is on track to meet its goal of 20% renewables in final energy consumption – including electricity, heat and transport – by 2020.

“Trends and projections in Europe 2013” finds that renewables contributed to 13% of final energy consumption in 2011, above a target of 10.7%. The EU is also exceeding its commitment for greenhouse gas reduction made under the Kyoto Protocol.

In addition to the Kyoto target, the EU has made a commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 20% during the 2013-2020 period. In order to meet these legally binding goals, EU member states need to double their use of renewable energy by 2020 compared to the 2005-2011 period.

In 2011, 14 of 28 EU member states had met goals under both the 2009 Renewable Energy Directive (RED) and 2010 National Renewable Action Plans (NREAP). Estonia had already reached its legally binding target for renewable energy in 2020, mostly due to its 46% renewable energy share in its heating and cooling sector.

Another seven member states reached or exceeded their RED goals but not their NREAP targets, however six member states including France and the UK were not meeting trajectories.

The main contributing renewable energy technologies in 2011 were solid biomass for heating, hydropower and onshore wind, with other renewable energy technologies representing only 24% of the total renewable energy share.

While Spain and Italy are among the nations that exceeded renewable energy targets in 2011, the EU found in September 2013 that both nation’s renewable energy laws are not in line with the RED, and issued a formal warning. Both Italy and Spain have made changes to their renewable energy payment programs disadvantaging solar electric technologies.