Renewable energy | In-depth topics

Energy services for heating and cooling, cooking, lighting, transport and manufacturing are vital for society’s functioning. Over the past two decades, renewable energy production and consumption have increased rapidly across the EU in response to dedicated policies and measures, and facilitated by rapid technological progress. As a result, greenhouse gas emissions across the EU energy system have decreased steadily since 1990, and the EU has achieved its 20% renewable energy target in 2020. In 2023, renewable energy sources represented an estimated 24.5% of the European Union’s final energy use. 

Solar panels on rooftops, electric cars and wind turbines on the horizon are becoming quite common and ordinary sights across Europe. Yet, fossil fuels remain the largest source of energy.

While not without impact, replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy sources like solar, wind and biomass, helps reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants, as well as contributes to increasing Europe’s energy independence.

Renewable and clean energy will play a vital role in determining Europe’s ability to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, while ensuring a steady supply of energy at affordable prices. Although already underway, the transition towards a clean and renewable energy system needs to speed up and transform key sectors, including transport, and put in place the infrastructure and governance needed. The European Green Deal and its policy initiatives, including RePowerEU, aim to facilitate this.

A transition toward renewables is already underway in the EU. Some highlights are shown below:

Renewable energy sources made up 24.5% of the EU’s final energy consumption in 2023. In 2022, the 27 EU Member States recorded greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that were 31% below 1990 levels, largely thanks to the increase in renewable energy production. The share of energy from renewable sources used for transport in the EU increased from under 2% in 2005 to 10.1% in 2023 (preliminary data). This means that EU countries collectively reached the 10% target for the share of energy from renewable sources in the transport sector by 2020. Switching to renewable energy sources for transport and heating has been more challenging than in the electricity sector.Greater shares of wind and solar in the electricity mix will require smarter, more flexible grids to balance variable generation and ensure energy security.

Rapid, far-reaching unprecedented changes are necessary to prevent the atmosphere from warming by more than 1.5°C — starting with the energy system.

The European Green Deal is an ambitious EU roadmap and policy framework for actions that put Europe on a path towards sustainability by 2050. For the energy sector, the European Climate Law aims to make the EU climate neutral by 2050.

The revised Renewable Energy Directive also introduces a 42.5% binding minimum target for the share of renewables in the EU’s gross final energy consumption by 2030. Member States have set national renewable energy targets for 2030.

The EEA publishes yearly data at country and European level on the uptake of renewable energy, as part of the Trends and Projections report.