EU Is Embracing Green Energy, Report Shows

(CN) - More than 12 percent of the energy consumed in the European Union comes from renewable sources, a new report shows.

The report from Eurostat, the EU's statistical office, compiles data from 2006 to 2010, the latest year for which data is available. Three of the EU's 27 member states - Belgium, France and Hungary - did report 2010 data.

Lawmakers passed a directive in 2009 to derive 20 percent of final energy consumption in the EU from renewable sources by 2020. Each member state received a target to reach the aggregate 20 percent target.

The individual goals take into account each country's different starting points, renewable energy potential and economic performance, according to Eurostat.

Solar, thermal, wind, geothermal, biofuels, photovoltaic, and hydro, made up of tide, wave and ocean, are all renewable energy sources under the directive.

Eurostat found that each member state increased its share of renewable energy from 2006 to 2010, and that the largest increases came from Estonia, Romania, Denmark, Sweden and Spain. These countries each increased their shares of renewable energy usage by 5 to 8 percent.

Renewable sources account for nearly 50 percent of energy consumption in Sweden, the overall EU leader in this field.

Latvia, Finland and Austria each use energy that is more than 30 percent renewable, and Portugal's share is nearly 25 percent, according to Eurostat.

Malta, Luxembourg, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands are at the bottom of the list, ranging from less than half a percent in Malta to almost 4 percent in the Netherlands. All four of the countries at the bottom are nine or more percentage points away from their 2020 goals, according to Eurostat's chart.

Norway - which has twice rejected membership in the EU by popular vote but maintains close ties to the union - gets more than 61 percent of its total energy from renewable sources, the agency said.

Eurostat released the figures to coincide with Sustainable Energy Week in Europe, which runs through June 22.

Subscribe to Closing Arguments

Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.

Email *

Submit