Renewable sources of energy, such as wind, solar and hydro power, accounted for 17.5% of the energy mix in the European Union in 2017.
“The EU is on track to meet its 2020 renewable target, with 11 member states already above their national targets,” said Climate Commissioner Miguel Arias Canete, who has called for the bloc to aim for net zero emissions.
As reported by the Reuters news agency, it was 17% in 2016 and 8.5% in 2004, the first year for which figures were published by Eurostat. The 2020 target of 20% is a stepping stone to the goal of 32% in 2030.
According to Eurostat’s report, Sweden has the highest share of renewable energy consumption. More than half of the country’s energy came from renewable sources in 2017. Luxembourg had the lowest proportion, with renewables accounting for just 6.4% of energy use.
The Netherlands, France, Ireland, Britain, Poland and Belgium are among EU nations still a few percentage points off their 2020 objective, as of 2017.
