In 2017, the share of energy from renewable sources in gross final consumption of energy reached 17.5 percent in the European Union (EU). According to the latest figures from Eurostat, this is up 0.5 percent from 17 percent in 2016 and just over double the 8.5 percent share in 2004, the first year for which data is available.
According to figures from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union (EU) the share of renewables in EU energy consumption is still on the rise reaching 17.5 percent in gross final energy consumption 2017.
The EU target to be reached by 2020 is a share of 20 percent energy from renewable sources in gross final consumption of energy and it is one of the headline indicators of the Europe 2020 strategy.
Each EU Member State has its own Europe 2020 target, the national targets take into account the Member States’ different starting points, renewable energy potential, and economic performance.
Highest renewable share in Sweden,
Since 2004, the share of renewable sources in gross final consumption of energy grew significantly in all Member States. Compared with 2016, it has increased in 19 of the 28 Member States. As in 2015 and 2016, eleven Member States have already achieved their national 2020 targets – Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Croatia, Italy, Lithuania, Hungary, Romania, Finland, and Sweden.
With more than half (54.5%) of its energy coming from renewable sources in its gross final consumption of energy, Sweden had by far the highest share in 2017, ahead of Finland (41.0%), Latvia (39.0%), Denmark (35.8%) and Austria (32.6%). Moreover, Latvia and Austria are around 1 percentage point (pp) away from their respective 2020 targets.
Lowest renewable share in Luxembourg, Netherlands and France furthest away
At the opposite end of the scale, the lowest proportions of renewables were registered in Luxembourg (6.4%), the Netherlands (6.6%) and Malta (7.2%). Furthermore, the Netherlands (7.4 pp from its national 2020 objective), France (6.7 pp), Ireland (5.3 pp), the United Kingdom (4.8 pp), Luxembourg (4.6 pp), Poland (4.1 pp) and Belgium (3.9 pp) are the furthest away from their targets.
