- Eurostat says in 2020, the EU’s renewable energy consumption of the gross electricity consumption grew to 37%
- Wind energy led the drive accounting for 36% of the renewable share, and hydro contributed 33%
- Solar was 3rd in line with 14% share among EU renewable power generation, however the agency notes it was the fastest growing renewable source as its share was only 1% in 2008
The European Union’s (EU) Statistical Office Eurostat released that renewable energy share in the gross electricity consumption of the region grew to 37% in 2020, having gone up from 34% in 2019. Renewables were led mainly by wind energy at 36% while solar’s share was 14%.
Hydropower represented a 33% share, with the remaining contributed by solid biofuels with 8% and other renewables pitching in with 8%.
Nonetheless, solar was the fastest growing source since in 2008 it accounted for only 1% of the total electricity consumed in the EU, points out Eurostat.
Norway and Iceland both exceeded 100% renewables share as these nations produced more electricity from renewables than their total electricity consumption.
Austria’s renewable energy consumption of the total mix was 78%, followed by Sweden with 75%. Eurostat said, “The generation of electricity from renewable sources was also high and accounted for more than half of the electricity consumed in Denmark (65%), Portugal (58%), Croatia and Latvia (both 53%).”
In comparison, the share of electricity from renewables was 10% in Malta, 12% each in Hungary and Cyprus, 14% in Luxembourg and 15% in Czechia.
European solar PV lobby association SolarPower Europe previously counted the EU to have grid connected 19.3 GW new solar PV capacity in 2020, followed by 25.9 GW in 2021 (see EU Installed Record 25.9 GW Solar In 2021).
Eurostat has also said it will be able to provide new and more detailed high-quality data on renewable energy and clean energy initiatives starting for year 2022, after the European Commission adopted an amendment of energy statistics regulation. The amendment will officially come into effect from February 2022 and will enable the agency to provide statistics to monitor a number of policy initiatives such as the EU’s FIT for 55 package, Hydrogen Strategy among others to support the overarching European Green Deal.
