EUROPE: Over one fifth of energy used for heating and cooling from renewable sources

Share of energy from renewable sources for heating and cooling, 2020

The EU reached a 22.1 % share of its gross final energy consumption from renewable sources in 2020, around 2 percentage points above its target. The share of renewables in gross final energy consumption stood at 22.1 % in the EU in 2020, compared with 9.6 % in 2004. While the EU as a whole met its 2020 targets, some Member States could not meet their obligations as regards the two main targets or had to use statistical transfers to meet these targets

This positive development and the achievement of the target has been prompted by the legally binding targets for increasing the share of energy from renewable sources enacted by Directive 2009/28/EC on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources.

In 2020, renewable energy accounted for 23.1 % of total energy use for heating and cooling in the EU, increasing from 11.7 % in 2004. Developments in the industrial sector, services and households contributed to this growth. Ambient energy captured by heat pumps for heating purposes is taken into account.

Among the EU Member States the share of energy from renewable sources in heating and cooling was more than half in Sweden (66.4 %), Estonia (57.9 %), Finland (57.6 %) and Latvia (57.1 %). At the other side of the scale, the EU Member States with a share of energy from renewable sources in heating and cooling of less than 10 % were Ireland (6.3 %), the Netherlands (8.1 %) and Belgium (8.4 %).