Energy consumption from renewable sources

Around 24% of EU energy consumption is met from renewable sources, partly driven by a strong growth in solar power, demonstrating the increasing offsetting of non-renewable materials in the energy sector. The share of energy consumption from renewable sources has been increasing steadily and the 2020 targets to reach a 20% share was achieved. An increasing share of EU energy demands are being met from renewable sources, however the share of renewable energy in the EU dropped slightly from 2020 to 2021. The share is estimated to have increased by one percentage point when compared with 2022, still largely driven by strong growth in solar power. The share is also amplified by a small 2023 reduction in non-renewable energy consumption. Meeting the new minimum EU target of 42.5% for 2030 will demand more than doubling the rates of renewables deployment seen over the past decade and a deep transformation of the European energy system.

The energy sector shows an increasing replacement of non-renewable materials/energy carriers with renewable energy. This is in line with a circular economy ambition to develop the EU economy based on renewable natural resources.

An increase in the use of renewable energy has multiple benefits for society such as mitigating climate change, reducing the emission of air pollutants and improving energy security. The EU had set the goal of ensuring that 20% of its gross final energy consumption came from renewable sources by 2020, increasing to 42.5% by 2030 after the revised Renewable Energy Directive. From a circular economy point of view, renewable energy reduces the one-time usage of energy-carrying materials.