Directive 2009/28/EC of the European Parliament and Council on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources set an overall goal across the EU for a 20 % share of energy consumption to be derived from renewable sources by 2020, while renewables should also account for a 10 % share of the fuel used in the transport sector by the same date. Solar: From home rooftops to utility-scale farms, solar power is reshaping energy markets around the world. Hydropower: For centuries, people have harnessed the energy of river currents, using dams to control water flow. Large dams can disrupt river ecosystems and surrounding communities, harming wildlife and displacing residents. Energy Basics. If you haven’t heard about hydrogen and … But "renewable" doesn't necessarily mean sustainable, as opponents of corn-based ethanol or large hydropower dams often argue. Cities, states, and federal governments around the world are instituting policies aimed at increasing renewable energy. While hydropower is theoretically a clean energy source replenished by rain and snow, it also has several drawbacks. Fossil fuels are embedded in nearly everything we do, and as a result, the greenhouse gases released from the burning of those fuels have reached historically high levels. At the origin of these initiatives is the 2020 climate and energy package adopted in December 2008, which provided a further stimulus for increasing the use of renewable energy sources to 20 % of total energy consumption by 2020, while calling for energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions to both be cut by 20 %. This article presents the results applying these accounting rules. Full article. Worldwide biofuel production has increased, with the main source being corn-based ethanol. The share of energy from renewable sources in electricity is presented in Figure 2. Non è possibile visualizzare una descrizione perché il sito non lo consente. Share of renewable energy more than doubled between 2004 and 2019, Wind and water provide most renewable electricity; solar is the fastest-growing energy source, Over one fifth of energy used for heating and cooling from renewable sources, 8.9% of renewable energy used in transport activities in 2019, Renewable energy: a major player in the European energy market, Roadmap for moving to a competitive low-carbon economy in 2050, sustainability of solid and gaseous biofuels used for electricity, heating and cooling, Calculation methodologies for the share of renewables in energy consumption, Electricity production, consumption and market overview, Shedding light on energy in the EU - A guided tour of energy statistics (2020 edition), Energy, transport and environment statistics (2020 edition), Sustainable development in the European Union — Monitoring report on progress towards the SDGs in an EU context (2020 edition), Share of energy from renewable sources (nrg_ind_ren), European Commission — Directorate-General for Energy — Renewable energy, International Energy Agency (IEA) — Renewable energy, Concerted Action on Renewable Energy Sources Directive, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Renewable_energy_statistics&oldid=512147. Renewable energy is derived from natural processes that are replenished at a rate that is equal or faster than the rate at which they are consumed. Renewable energy directive. Home » 5 Fast Facts about Hydrogen and Fuel Cells. From solar to wind, find out more about alternative energy, the fastest-growing source of energy in the world–and how we can use it to combat climate change. Some people may object to how wind turbines look on the horizon and to how they sound, but wind energy, whose prices are declining, is proving too valuable a resource to deny. Figure 1 shows the latest data available for the share of renewable energies in gross final energy consumption and the targets that have been set for 2020. Unlike solar and wind energy, geothermal energy is always available, but it has side effects that need to be managed, such as the rotten egg smell that can accompany released hydrogen sulfide. The first U.S. offshore wind farm opened in 2016 in Rhode Island, and other offshore projects are gaining momentum. Only reported compliant biofuels and bioliquids are counted towards the respective shares of renewables. Although renewable facilities require upfront investments to build, they can then operate at very low cost (for most clean energy technologies, the “fuel” is free). This will greatly contribute to the Commission's political priority as expressed by President Juncker in 2014 for the European Union to become the world number one in renewables. Renewable energy is an increasingly important part of California’s clean energy future. The European Commission has set out several energy strategies for a more secure, sustainable and low-carbon economy. Programs like Scotland’s Saltire Prize have encouraged innovation in this area. Strictly speaking, renewable energy is just what you might think: perpetually available, or as the U.S. Energy Information Administration puts it, "virtually inexhaustible." Now, electricity-generating wind turbines are proliferating around the globe, and China, the U.S., and Germany are the leading wind energy producers. The contribution of all liquid biofuels is included within the calculation for this indicator until 2010. Renewable energy, also called alternative energy, usable energy derived from replenishable sources such as the Sun ( solar energy ), wind ( wind power ), rivers ( hydroelectric power ), hot springs ( geothermal energy ), tides ( tidal power ), and biomass ( biofuels ). In 2019, renewable energy accounted for 22.1 % of total energy use for heating and cooling in the EU-27, increasing from 11.7 % in 2004. This positive development has been prompted by the legally binding targets for increasing the share of energy from renewable sources enacted by Directive 2009/28/EC on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources. Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy. The accounting rules in Directive 2009/28/EC prescribe that electricity generated by hydro power and wind power have to be normalised to account for annual weather variations (hydro is normalised over the last 15 years and wind over the last 5 years). As of reference year 2011, countries are to report as compliant only those biofuels and bioliquids for which compliance with both Article 17 and Article 18 can be fully demonstrated. Renewable Energy is no longer a niche sector of novel technologies, and we have now implemented renewable energy to a scale where it is expected to provide 50% of global power in the next few decades. 5 Fast Facts about Hydrogen and Fuel Cells. Global warming is one symptom of climate change, the term scientists now prefer to describe the complex shifts affecting our planet’s weather and climate systems. Share of renewable energy more than … Demand for energy – for heat, light, power and transportation – is increasing rapidly. Aerothermal, geothermal and hydrothermal heat energy captured by heat pumps for heating purposes is taken into account. Carbon is the main element in fossil fuels. The EU agreed to set a common target of 10 % for the share of renewable energy (including liquid biofuels, hydrogen, biomethane, ‘green’ electricity, etc.) The consumption of electricity from renewable sources was also high in Denmark (65 %), Portugal (54 %) and Latvia (53 %), accounting for more than half of electricity consumed. The growth of renewable energy sources may also stimulate employment in the EU, through the creation of jobs in new ‘green’ technologies. The term often also encompasses biomass as well, whose carbon neutral status is under debate. Similarly, debates have erupted over whether it's a good idea to ship wood pellets from U.S. forests over to Europe so that it can be burned for electricity. Facts and Figures Renewable energy resources alone are not sufficient to meet the predicted dramatic increase in energy demands through 2030. The mass production of electricity using renewable energy sources is now becoming more common. On 6 June 2012, the European Commission presented a Communication titled, ‘Renewable energy: a major player in the European energy market’ (COM(2012) 271 final), outlining options for a renewable energy policy for the period beyond 2020. In any discussion about climate change, renewable energy usually tops the list of changes the world can implement to stave off the worst effects of rising temperatures. Types of renewable energy sources Hydropower: For centuries, people have harnessed the energy of river currents, using dams to control water flow. On 11 December 2018, the EU adopted Directive 2018/2001/EU on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources. That's because renewable energy sources such as solar and wind don't emit carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. Like solar power, biomass is a flexible energy source, able to fuel vehicles, heat buildings, and produce electricity. October 4, 2017. The Green Deal is an integral part of the Commission’s strategy to implement the United Nation’s 2030 Agenda and the sustainable development goals, and the other priorities announced in President von der Leyen’s political guidelines. geothermal power station. Renewable energy is useful energy that is collected from renewable resources, which are naturally replenished on a human timescale, including carbon neutral sources like sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves, and geothermal heat. All of those factors have contributed to a renewable energy renaissance in recent years, with wind and solar setting new records for electricity generation. The share of renewable energy in gross final energy consumption is identified as a key indicator for measuring progress under the Europe 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. See all of our videos about renewable energy here. For the purpose of calculating the share of renewable energy in heating and cooling, final consumption of energy from renewable sources is defined as the final consumption of renewable energy in industry, households, services, agriculture, forestry and fisheries for heating and cooling purposes, plus district heating produced from renewables. 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