Electricity from renewable sources on the rise

Green Forum
In absolute terms, the production of electricity from renewable energy sources increased by almost 5% from 2020 to 2021. However, also gross electricity consumption increased mainly due to economic recovery after lifting COVID-19 restrictions. As a result, the share of renewable energy sources in gross electricity consumption in the EU only increased by 0.1 percentage points (pp), from 37.4% in 2020 to 37.5% in 2021, Eurostat reports.

Wind and hydropower accounted for over two-thirds of the total electricity generated from renewable sources (37% and 32%, respectively). The remaining one-third of electricity came from solar power (15%), solid biofuels (7%) and other renewable sources (8%). Solar power is the fastest-growing source; in 2008, it only accounted for 1% of the electricity consumed in the EU.

In 2021, more than three quarters of gross electricity consumption in Austria (76.2%, relying mostly on hydro) and Sweden (75.7%, mostly hydro and wind) was generated from renewable sources. These EU Member States were followed by Denmark (62.6%, mostly wind), Portugal (58.4%, wind and hydro) and Croatia (53.5%, mostly hydro).

At the other end of the scale, the lowest shares of electricity from renewable sources were reported in Malta (9.7%), Hungary (13.7%), Luxembourg (14.2%), Czechia (14.5%) and Cyprus (14.8%).

RECOMMENDED
RECOMMENDED FROM THE HOME PAGE
Business

AQUILA meets 2026 emissions target two years early

AQUILA, a leading distributor in Romania's fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector with over 30 years of experience, announced significant progress in 2024 under its 2022–2026 Sustainability Strategy.

Industry

EC approves €400 million for Spanish hydrogen scheme

The European Commission has approved a €400 million Spanish State aid scheme to support the production of renewable hydrogen through the European Hydrogen Bank's "Auctions-as-a-Service" tool for the auction closing in 2025.

READ MORE
Green Forum  |  22 April, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Green Forum  |  21 April, 2025 at 6:21 PM