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UK in bottom four as Sweden leads meeting its renewable targets

By: Chris Anderson 22/12/2014 EurObserv’ER, www.eurobserv-er.org, 2014

General

In figures out today from EurObserv’ER the European renewable energy share increases to 15% in 2013.

The 2009/28/EC Directive sets the Member States a mandatory 20% global renewable energy share target of gross final energy consumption with binding compulsory targets for each individual country for 2020. EurObserv’ER monitors all the Member States’ trajectories towards these targets.

The estimates published below are the first to appear for 2013.
Calculating the renewable energy share for each country is a delicate task. The results presented are EurObserv’ER estimates based on data collected by the project team over the past year. According to these initial figures, the renewable energy share of gross final energy consumption in the European Union stood at 15.0% in 2013 compared to 14.2% in 2012, which amounts to a 0.8 point rise.

On the one hand, gross final renewable energy consumption increased by 7.8 Mtoe (from 163 to 170.9 Mtoe). According to EurObserv’ER this primarily represents a considerable increase in the contribution of “normalized” wind power, namely an additional 2.3 Mtoe across the European Union.

Biomass consumption for heat production purposes also increased (by 1.9 Mtoe) primarily thanks to the significant increase in French consumption. The third factor is the 1.1 Mtoe rise in photovoltaic electricity output between 2012 and 2013. Biogas also made a substantial input both through recovery as electricity (adding 549 ktoe) and as heat (adding 362 ktoe).

Conversely, according to EurObserv’ER estimates, total gross final energy consumption (renewable or otherwise) continued to slide in 2013, depressed by the recession and also through efforts made to enhance energy efficiency. We put this EU-wide drop at 5.9 Mtoe (from 1 146.2 Mtoe in 2012 to 1 140.3 Mtoe in 2013).

These contrasting trends made a positive contribution to the renewable energy share of total gross final energy consumption.

A major element of information is called for. The quality of the renewable energy statistics presented by the ministries and statistical offices throughout Europe according to EurObserv’ER is improving, as a spin-off from studies undertaken to gain a more accurate appraisal of actual renewable energy consumption, especially by households, which are harder to pin down.

These insights tend to lead to significant statistical consolidations for specific sectors resulting in reassessments of the renewable share in a number of countries. Particular points in case in 2013 were Germany and Italy following new domestic wood-energy consumption surveys. A repeat of this phenomenon could occur in 2014, in relation to biofuel. In 2013, the biofuel sustainability certification system making biofuels eligible for inclusion in the national renewable energy target accounts had not been implemented in a number of countries such as Spain, Portugal and Finland. Consequently their biofuel production was excluded from the European renewable energies directive target calculations and marred their results.

At individual country level, five Member States have already reached their 2020 targets – Bulgaria, Estonia, Lithuania, Romania and Sweden. Eight countries are almost up to the mark having achieved more than 90% of their target: Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Latvia and Slovenia. Of the major energy consumers, France and Germany are at 63 and 68% of their targets respectively, while the United Kingdom has secured 35% of its target…

EurObserv’ER will publish more accurate estimates in its annual publication “The State of Renewable Energies in Europe” which will be out in a few weeks’ time.

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UK in bottom four as Sweden leads meeting its renewable targets

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