Development of Renewable Energy Sources in the European Union in the Context of Sustainable Development Policy

Abstract

Renewable energy sources play a key role in decarbonizing the economy of the European Union (EU) and the world. The aim of this research is to present the development of the renewable energy sources (RES) sector in the European Union (EU), with particular emphasis on sustainable development. The EU guidelines, requirements, and directives were analyzed in order to meet the provisions of the energy policy to ensure energy and climate security. The potential of the RES was studied in the EU countries, and the possibility of its use in cogeneration with the use of local renewable resources. The results are presented in tabular, graphic, and descriptive forms. The results are presented based on the extensive literature on the subject and data from Eurostat. The data covered 2004–19. We used different methods to evaluate the changes in the RES in the EU countries. First, we compiled descriptive statistics; second, we used the Augmented Dickey–Fuller test (ADF test); and, finally, we used the Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity model (GARCH model). Our analysis found that the EU increased the share of RES. The biggest share of energy from renewable energy sources was found in 2019 in Iceland (78%), Norway (74%), and Sweden (56%). The biggest increase in the share of RES in 2004–19 was found in Malta (8322%), Great Britain (1126%), and Luxemburg (784%). The results demonstrate the development of RES in the EU countries. However, not all countries achieved the planned goal in 2019.

Evaluating the Progress of Renewable Energy Sources in Poland: A Multidimensional Analysis

“…Twenty EU countries have achieved their highest shares of electricity from the sun in their history. The leader was the Netherlands, which generated 14% of their energy from photovoltaic generation [59][60][61]. In 2020, energy production from photovoltaics was 3.5 times higher than in 2019.…”

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“…As of 2019, the largest emissions volumes were registered in the People's Republic of China -10.17 billion tonnes, the USA -5.28 billion tonnes, and also in the EU countries -2.92 billion tonnes. P. Bórawski et al (2022) notes that a comprehensive approach explains the need for legal regulation in conditions of limited resources, as well as the importance of introducing certain global management parameters to prevent conflict situations in achieving energy security of the EU countries. P. Kivimaa (2022), in the framework of studying the guarantee of energy security in the EU states, also considered the process of balancing between, on the one hand, new energy sources, and, on the other hand, the growing demand of consumers due to their imports.…”

Potential of acetic acid to restore methane production in anaerobic reactors critically intoxicated by ammonia as evidenced by metabolic and microbial monitoring

“…The European Union (EU) is currently proposing to increase the 2030 target for renewable energy source consumption to 45% [ 1 ]. In this context, biogas production from the on-farm anaerobic digestion (AD) of animal manure and agri-food residues can play a key role in increasing the contribution of alternative energy sources.…”