EU Nations Expect to Meet Renewable Energy Targets for 2020

According to a summary of documents provided by its 27 members states, the European Union is poised to meet its 2020 target of deriving 20 percent of its energy from renewable sources.

Twenty-one nations expect to meet or exceed their goals, while only six expect to fall short; however, none of the six expects to miss its target by more than one-percent.

John Wilkes, Policy Director of the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) that conducted the analysis, had this to say:

Europe has witnessed a sea-change since the 2009 Renewable Energy Directive was agreed as in 2008 many countries were stating that their target would be difficult to meet – now the majority are forecasting that they will meet or exceed their national target”

If the projections prove correct, the EU will have collectively increased its renewable energy share from 8.5 percent in 2005 to 20 percent in fifteen years.

The table below groups countries according to their projections, and compares their renewable energy shares in 2005 to their 2020 targets.

Summary of Forecast Documents Submitted by Member States

Source: EWEA
The 27 national forecast documents are available at the European Commission’s Transparency Platform