Comparative Analysis of the Renewable Energy Production Potential in Romania

Abstract

Renewable energy is the energy produced from renewable resources replenished naturally on a human scale from sources: sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves, geothermal heat, etc. Renewable energy induces a negligible ecological footprint that is quite limited in the area of operation, while at the same time providing obvious ecological benefits and contributing to the sustainable development of human societies. Today in 2022, renewable energy sources are considered alternatives to fossil fuels because they contribute a lot to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, but especially to the diversification of the energy supply and to the reduction of dependence on the market-s increasingly expensive fossil fuels (especially oil and gas). Romania produces energy from renewable sources with a much higher weight than the average of the EU, concomitantly it occupies a leading place among the countries dependent on coal to generate electricity. From 2020 the electricity supplied in Romania to final customers comes in a percentage of 54.53% from conventional sources and in the percentage of 45.47% from renewable sources. In other words, we believe that the European Green Pact will contribute in an important way to achieving climate neutrality by reducing carbon emissions produced by the energy sector because the EU's goal for the year 2050 is to achieve neutrality in the emission of greenhouse gases.