According to a summary published on Thursday, 10 out of the EU's 27 member states are on track to exceed their national targets for renewable energy, with a further 12 set to meet their goals using domestic sources of renewable energy. However, five member states, Belgium, Denmark, Italy, Luxembourg and Malta, will have to source their renewable energy from outside their countries. Europe's renewable energy directive sets an overall EU target of 20 percent and individual binding national targets. The bloc defines biofuels, biomass, wind, solar energy as well as hydro power as being renewable. In 2007, the most recent year for which there is data available, the renewable share was nine percent, with approximately 63 percent of this coming from biomass and biowaste.
According to a summary published on Thursday, 10 out of the EU's 27 member states are on track to exceed their national targets for renewable energy, with a further 12 set to meet their goals using domestic sources of renewable energy.
However, five member states, Belgium, Denmark, Italy, Luxembourg and Malta, will have to source their renewable energy from outside their countries.
Europe's renewable energy directive sets an overall EU target of 20 percent and individual binding national targets. The bloc defines biofuels, biomass, wind, solar energy as well as hydro power as being renewable.
In 2007, the most recent year for which there is data available, the renewable share was nine percent, with approximately 63 percent of this coming from biomass and biowaste.
Italy will have the biggest shortage of domestically produced renewable energies, the Commission said in a summary of the forecast documents submitted by member states under the renewables directive. The country will have to buy around 1.2 Mtoe from other countries in order to meet its binding target, it stated. Belgium, Denmark, Luxemburg and Malta were the other EU countries which expected to fall short of their targets with domestic production only. By contrast, ten member states predict a surplus in 2020, which they could transfer to another member state, the Commission said. This would amount to about 2% of the total renewables required in 2020. Spain and Germany plan the largest absolute amounts of surplus renewable energy on top of their binding commitments. Consequently, Germany expects to hit 18.7% instead of 18%, and Spain 22.7% instead of 20%. In consequence, the EU as a whole is set to reach a 20.3% share of renewable energies in 2020, slightly exceeding its 20% target, the Commission said.
Italy will have the biggest shortage of domestically produced renewable energies, the Commission said in a summary of the forecast documents submitted by member states under the renewables directive. The country will have to buy around 1.2 Mtoe from other countries in order to meet its binding target, it stated.
Belgium, Denmark, Luxemburg and Malta were the other EU countries which expected to fall short of their targets with domestic production only.
By contrast, ten member states predict a surplus in 2020, which they could transfer to another member state, the Commission said. This would amount to about 2% of the total renewables required in 2020.
Spain and Germany plan the largest absolute amounts of surplus renewable energy on top of their binding commitments. Consequently, Germany expects to hit 18.7% instead of 18%, and Spain 22.7% instead of 20%.
In consequence, the EU as a whole is set to reach a 20.3% share of renewable energies in 2020, slightly exceeding its 20% target, the Commission said.
