Renewable energy

Increased renewable energy sources will help the EU transition towards a prosperous, sustainable, climate-compatible and independent economy. In recent years, Europe has been generating more renewable energy and a growing share of its energy consumption is met through renewable sources.

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.

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 22% of the EU’s final energy consumption in 2021.
In 2020, the 27 EU Member States recorded greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that were 32% 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 10.2% in 2020. 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.
New 2030 and 2050 targets will require rapid growth in renewable energy sources across all sectors.
Higher penetration of intermittent energy sources, such as wind and solar, will bring new challenges to the power grid.

Explore data on renewable energy

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 32% 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 and must ensure that national fuel suppliers provide at least a 14% share of renewable energy in the total energy consumed in road and rail transport.

At the current rate, the prospects of meeting the existing 32% EU target for 2030 remain uncertain. Furthermore, in response to the hardships and global energy market disruption caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the European Commission presented the REPowerEU Plan. Among other measures, this plan proposes a more ambitious target of 45% by 2030, to pave the way for climate neutrality by 2050, but also to reduce dependency on imported fossil fuels.

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

See the EU policies we support

Press releases and articles

Publications

Indicators

Maps and charts

Datahub

Frequently asked questions

Cleaner transport thanks to renewable energy?

The share of energy from renewable sources used for transport in the EU increased from under 2% in 2005 to 10.2% in 2020. This means that, collectively, the EU countries reached the 10% target for the share of energy from renewable sources in the transport sector.

Preliminary EEA data indicate that in 2021, the share of energy from renewable sources used for transport in the EU stabilised at around the same level (10.2%). Progress among the EU Member States varies significantly, from 5.6% in Greece to 34% in Sweden.

How much of our energy comes from renewable sources?

In 2021, 22% of the energy consumed in the EU was generated from renewable sources, according to our early estimates. This is the same as the level observed in 2020, despite the two years being marked by different conditions and consumption patterns.

Consumption of renewables increased in absolute terms in 2021, driven by their higher penetration in the heating sector, as well as increased electricity generation from solar power. However, this was eclipsed by slower wind speeds and a rapid rebound of non-renewables after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The long-term prospects may still fall short of the current 32% renewable energy target set for 2030.

Climate and energy in the EU: progress towards climate neutrality by 2050

Explore our data in the climate and energy website

ImageSibylle Maus, Sustainably Yours/EEA

Become a prosumer and help the EU switch to renewable energy

People, institutions and businesses can help deploy renewable energy and reduce fuel imports by becoming prosumers, who both produce and consume energy. For example, by installing solar panels on their roofs or by being part of an energy community, prosumers can lower their bills while supporting the energy transition. They can also provide other services to the power grid such as energy storage.

Prosumers still face many challenges, including costs, regulatory barriers, or lack of volunteers or expertise. However, opportunities for prosumers are growing with technological development and, importantly, an increasingly supportive EU policy framework. Prosumers are now a key element of the recent REPowerEU proposal and its Solar Rooftop initiative.

More about prosumers in our report

More information

External links:

Climate and Energy in the EU

Renewable energy

Climate-ADAPT

Renewable energy

Cleaner transport thanks to renewable energy?

How much of our energy comes from renewable sources?

Climate and energy in the EU: progress towards climate neutrality by 2050

Become a prosumer and help the EU switch to renewable energy

More information

Other topics you might be interested in:

External links: