The European Union’s Directive to Promote Renewables will Bolster the Share of Renewable Energy in the Member States

Monday 26 August 2013, Amsterdam

The European Union’s (EU) directive on renewable energy has set a target for each member state to increase its renewable energy share to 20% of gross final energy consumption by 2020. The member countries can choose a mix of renewables to achieve the overall target.

The following table lists the EU 2020 targets for countries covered in this report. The table lists the share of renewables in the gross final consumption of energy for each country, as of 2011. In addition, it provides national binding targets for 2020 for each country, as established under the  EU Directive 28/2009/EC. The table also lists out National Renewable Energy Action Plan (NREAP) targets as submitted by member countries to the EU. NREAP provides a detailed path of how each EU member state expects to achieve its legally binding 2020 renewable energy targets.
Many of the member states expect to exceed their targets while others member states are expected to use the Directive's cooperation mechanisms to reach their 2020 target through the development of renewable energy in another member state or a third country.
Norway aims to have a share of 67.5% of renewables in final energy consumption by 2020.

Government  Policy  Measures  Play  a  Vital  Role  in  Driving  Renewable  EnergyDevelopment

Government policy structure and growth measures for renewables play an important role in renewable energy development. Renewable support schemes such as FITs (FITs), quota obligations, capital grants and subsidies and others have been instrumental in promoting the growth of the renewable energy industry in various European countries.

Also, in certain countries, in order to promote key renewable technologies governments provide sector- specific support schemes such as premium tariffs and technology-specific funds, among other things.

Of the various renewable support mechanisms in Europe, FITs have emerged as an effective way of promoting the renewable industry.  The major technologies that have benefited from these tariffs are wind and solar power. In countries such as Germany, France, Italy, the UK, Spain, Austria, the Netherlands, and Turkey, FITs are being used to promote renewable energy.

The governments of some European countries are utilizing both quota obligations and FITs to develop the renewable energy sector. Italy and the UK are two such countries.

Other than FITs and quota obligations, other promotional measures such as premium tariffs, tax incentives, investment support, net metering, and green certificates are also being used by various European countries to drive the growth of the industry. On January 1, 2012, Norway and Sweden become the first countries in the world to establish a common green certificate program. The system will lead to 26.4 Terawatt-hour (TWh) of renewable electricity generation from new renewable energy projects by 2020. Norway and Sweden will each provide financing for renewable electricity  generation of 13.2 TWh in total.

Germany Led the Renewable Energy Industry in the EU Region in 2012

Germany, Italy, Spain and France are among the key European countries for renewable energy, with each having significant renewable installed capacity. Other key countries with significant renewable capacity are Norway, Sweden, Turkey and the UK.

At the end of 2012, Germany ranked fifth in the world in terms of cumulative renewable power installed powergeneration capacity including hydro. The country added 10.3 GW of renewable capacity including hydro in2012. Globally, it ranked first in cumulative solar PV capacity and third in cumulative wind power capacity.

It also ranked third in the world, after China and the US, in terms of new renewable capacity investment in2012. The growth of renewable energy in Germany has been well-supported by the attractive incentive schemes provided by the government’s renewable energy act. Renewable energy met 12.6% of the country’sfinal energy consumption in 2012, a rise of 0.5% in comparison to 2011.