ETC/CME Report “Renewable energy in Europe 2020” with input from EnergyVille/VITO published
Recently, the ETC/CME report on Renewable energy in Europe was published. EnergyVille/VITO, partner of the ETC/CME, coordinates this report together with EEA since 2015. The ETC/CME processes, aggregates and analyzes key data and information on EU greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy and energy efficiency. As such, the ETC/CME tracks the progress the EU is making in achieving its climate and energy objectives and provides important insight and knowledge to accelerate the transition to a climate neutral society.
This report outlines the progress made in 2018 and 2019 in the deployment of renewable energy sources (RES) since 2005 in the European Union (EU-27) as a whole, and at country, market and technology level.
Using data reported by Member States to Eurostat and early estimates from the European Environment Agency, the assessment confirms that the EU RES share continues to be in line with the indicative trajectory designed to achieve the mandatory 20 % EU RES consumption target for 2020. However, to achieve the 2020 targets with certainty and prepare for their transition towards climate neutrality, countries need to prioritise the deployment of renewable energy sources as part of their energy mix, and invest in energy efficiency improvements nationally and across the EU. This is particularly important in the context of the post-COVID-19 recovery. For the transport sector, the RED sets a target of 10 %. At current pace this target would not be met by 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 crisis energy use fell significantly in 2020, especially in transport, which may contextually facilitate the achievement of the 10 % target set for the transport sector.
The increase in RES use throughout Europe since 2005, has had many co-benefits. This includes a cut in the annual demand for fossil fuels (Gross inland consumption of fossil fuels) of more than 13 % in 2018, associated with a drop in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of 11 % across the EU in that year, than if RES use had remained at the same level of 2005. This is almost as much as the gross final energy consumption and the total GHG emissions of France. Overall, interactions with air pollutant emissions were also beneficial, leading year on year to decreases in the emissions of NOx and SO2, by 6 % and 1 % in 2018, respectively, than if RES use had remained at the same level of 2005. However, the emissions of PM2,5, PM10, and VOCs were estimated to have increased, mainly due to increases in the combustion of biomass since 2005, by 12 %, 7 % and 4 %, respectively.
Seen globally, between 2005 and 2018 the EU has transformed its electricity production base faster than other world regions. However, even though the EU is still the world leader in renewable electricity capacity installed per capita, in terms of total installed capacity China surpassed the EU already in 2013.
Information about the report
Prepared by: Merce Almuni, Ils Moorkens (VITO), Risto Juhana Saarikivi (CHMI) and Mihai Tomescu (EEA)
Published by: ETC/CME, January 2021.
Publication number: Eionet report ETC/CME 2020/7
Download link: ETC/CME Report 7/2020: Renewable energy in 2020 – Recent growth and knock-on effects
At the same time the EEA published its briefing “EU renewable electricity has reduced environmental pressures; targeted actions help further reduce impacts”: EEA Briefing on renewable electricity and environmental impacts. This briefing is based, amongst others, on the RES report mentioned above.
Consult the interactive products, derived from EnergyVille/VITO’s data collection and calculations for the ETC/CME here: the renewable energy impacts dashboard and the data viewer accompanying the report.