Use of Renewables: Where Do EU Member Countries Stand?
von Susanne Reiff, GIZ/EUKI
The objective is clear: Reducing CO2 emissions must go hand in hand with increasing the use of renewable energies. And time is running out. So, where do EU member states and the EU as a whole stand in their pursuit of a clean energy transition? Eurostat, the European Union’s statistical office, has published some key facts and figures that reveal the areas that need particular attention.
The good news from the Eurostat reports “Key Figures on Europe” and “Key Figures on the EU in the World” is that in 2023, greenhouse gas emissions in the EU were reduced by 36.3% compared to 1990 levels. In Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Romania, Bulgaria and Slovakia, emissions more than halved. The bad news: This is still far away from the EU’s target to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by 90% in 2040.
Greenhouse gas emissions in EU member countries (2023)
What’s the share of renewables in EU member states?
The energy sector plays a key role in reducing emissions and all EU member states increased their use of renewable energy sources between 2013 and 2023. In 2023, renewables accounted for 24.6% of total EU gross final energy consumption, an increase of 1.5% compared to 2022 and 9.6% compared to 2004. However, the share of renewables differs significantly between countries. While more than 66.4% of Sweden’s energy comes from renewable sources, it’s 43.2% in Latvia, 25.7% in Greece, 21.6% in Germany and 16.6% in Poland.2Source: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/NRG_IND_REN__custom_2529555/bookmark/bar?lang=en&bookmarkId=051eba10-2a6f-44a5-9fd5-eac1401e4c55&c=1650360342259 These partly significant differences can be explained by the availability of natural resources, the political will and economic factors. Sweden, for example, has anabundance of water resources, whereas France has historically relied on nuclear power. Many Eastern European countries traditionally use fossil fuels like coal and Germany has promoted renewables as part of its “Energiewende”.
The main renewable source for the generation of electricity in the EU, according to Eurostat, is wind power, which in 2023 accounted for 38.5% of the total electricity generated from renewable sources, followed by hydropower (28.2%), solar (20.5%) and solid biofuels (6.2%). “Solar power is the fastest-growing source: in 2008, it accounted for 1%. This means that the growth in electricity from solar power has been dramatic, rising from just 7.4 TWh in 2008 to 252.1 TWh in 2023,” Eurostat reports.
How do EU member states use energy?
In 2023, transport was the most energy-consuming sector in the EU, with a share of 32 % of the final energy consumption, followed by households (26.3%) and the industry sector (24.6%). In the EU member countries’ residential sector, which plays a crucial role in many EUKI projects, energy is mainly used for space heating (62.5%), followed by water heating (15.1%) and lighting and electrical appliances (14.5%). These are the areas to be tackled in the residential sector to achieve the EU’s objective of reducing final energy consumption by 11.7% by 2030 compared to 2020 levels. While space cooling only accounts for 0.6% of final energy consumption, Eurostat points out that it has increased more rapidly than other uses in recent years. With rising temperatures across Europe, this issue may become even more critical in the future.
Final energy consumption in the EU’s residential sector in 2023 (by use in %)
Of the total energy used for heating and cooling in 2023, 26.2% came from renewable sources, an increase of 11.7% since 2004. Heat pumps, solar panels and other developments in industry, services and households have contributed to this positive trend.
Share of energy from renewable sources for heating and cooling, 2023 (%)
These figures serve as a reminder: Despite clear progress and the great commitment of climate actors such as EUKI project implementers, the pathway towards the EU’s clean energy transition remains challenging. Continued investment in renewable technologies like wind and solar is therefore required, along with more resolute political commitment and action at all levels.
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