Use of renewable energy for transport in Europe

Assessment versions

Published (reviewed and quality assured)

• 26 Oct 2021, 11:55 AM
  - Use of renewable energy for transport in Europe

Rationale

Justification for indicator selection

Not provided

Scientific references

• No rationale references available

Indicator definition

This indicator shows the percentage of energy consumed in the transport sector that comes from renewable energy sources. Values are tracked at the EU and country levels.

The indicator is based on Eurostat data and approximated values calculated by the EEA for the latest year.

Units

Final energy consumption of biofuels, petrol and diesel, and electricity for transport measured in kilotonnes of oil equivalent (ktoe). The share of energy from renewable sources used in transport is given as percentage.

Policy context and targets

Context description

The European Green Deal sets out the aim for a carbon neutral EU by 2050. This requires the decarbonisation of all sectors.

The transport sector is responsible for nearly a quarter of Europe’s greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, this sector has proven difficult to decarbonise. Increasing the share of renewable energy in the sector is a key means to reducing emissions and contributing to Europe’s goal of carbon neutrality.

The policy and targets for the energy sector as a whole, and specifically for the transport sector, were established in the Renewable Energy Directive 2009/28/EC (RED). It requires that all EU countries ensure that by 2020, at least 10% of fuels in the transport sector come from renewable sources. The RED also establishes sustainability criteria for biofuels, which must be fulfilled to be considered in the target.

In 2018, the recast Renewable Energy Directive 2018/2001/EU (RED II) was adopted. It extends the legal framework to 2030, setting new targets and extending the requirements for the sustainability of bioenergy. The target set in RED II for the share of energy coming from renewable sources in transport is 14%.

Targets

No targets have been specified for this indicator

Related policy documents

• Directive (EU) 2018/2001
  Directive (EU) 2018/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018 on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources
• DIRECTIVE 2001/77/EC Renewable electricity
  Directive 2001/77/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 September 2001 on the promotion of electricity produced from renewable energy sources in the internal electricity market
• Directive 2003/30/EC, use of biofuels and renewable fuels
  Promotion of the use of biofuels and other renewable fuels for transport. Directive 2003/30/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 8 May 2003 on the promotion of the use of biofuels and other renewable fuels for transport.
• DIRECTIVE 2009/28/EC
  DIRECTIVE 2009/28/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 23 April 2009 on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources and amending and subsequently repealing Directives 2001/77/EC and 2003/30/EC
• Regulation (EC) No 1099/2008 on energy statistics
  Regulation (EC) No 1099/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 October 2008 on energy statistics (OJ 2008 L 304, p. 1).
• The European Green Deal
  Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the European Council, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions (COM(2019) 640 final).

Methodology

Methodology for indicator calculation

The indicator uses information compiled by Eurostat (for historical trends), supplemented by the EEA’s own approximated estimates for the latest year. This is replaced by the Eurostat value when that becomes available.

The Eurostat data are based on information gained through annual energy statistics (as mandated by Regulation (EC) No 1099/2008 on energy statistics), and additional data required for the calculation of the share of energy from renewable sources in transport (RES-T), based on the RED. The EEA approximate estimates for the share are calculated in accordance with the methodology under the RED.

The ratio determining a Member State’s RES-T share is defined in the RED. Article 3(4) defines both the numerator and the denominator of the ratio:

The denominator is the total amount of energy consumed in transport and includes: ‘petrol, diesel, biofuels consumed in road and rail transport, and electricity, including electricity used for the production of renewable liquid and gaseous transport fuels of non-biological origin’.

The numerator defines the ‘energy from renewable sources consumed in transport’. It is the total of compliant biofuels (liquid and gaseous), renewable electricity, hydrogen of renewable origin, synthetic fuels of renewable origin and other forms of renewable energy consumed in the transport sector.

References

Eurostat, 2020, https://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/show.do?dataset=nrg_ind_ren&lang=en

EC, 2021, The European Climate Law; Regulation (EU) 2021/1119 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 June 2021 establishing the framework for achieving climate neutrality and amending Regulations (EC) No 401/2009 and (EU) 2018/1999 (‘European Climate Law’) (OJ L 243, 9.7.2021, p. 1–17)

EU, 2009, Directive 2009/28/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2009 on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources and amending and subsequently repealing Directives 2001/77/EC and 2003/30/EC (OJ L 140, 5.6.2009, p. 16-62).

EU, 2018, Directive (EU) 2018/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018 on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources (OJ L 328, 21.12.2018, p. 82-209).

Ministry of Infrastructure, 2020,Sweden’s Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan, Ministry of Infrastructure, Sweden (https://ec.europa.eu/energy/sites/ener/files/documents/se_final_necp_main_en.pdf) accessed 10 September 2020.

Methodology for gap filling

No gap-filling is applied. 

Methodology references

• SHARES Tool Manual Shares Tool Manual: Describes the Shares Tool that is designed to collect and present the information – the energy data – that is needed for the calculations as defined in Article 3 (transport sector) and Article 5 (overall target) of the Directive. 

Data specifications

EEA data references

• Approximated estimates for the share of gross final consumption of renewable energy sources in 2019 (EEA 2019 RES share proxies) provided by European Environment Agency (EEA)

External data references

• Share of energy from renewable sources

Data sources in latest figures

Uncertainties

Methodology uncertainty

No uncertainty has been specified.

Data sets uncertainty

The data are collected on an annual basis by the European Commission and can be considered reliable and accurate. The requirement for data collection for low- and zero-sulphur fuels and biofuels is mandatory, and the results are harmonised at the EU level.

Rationale uncertainty

No uncertainty has been specified.