International. In 2020, renewable energy accounted for 23.1% of total energy use for heating and cooling in the EU (European Union), compared to 11.7% in 2004, as reported by the European Commission through the statistical site Eurostat.
Advances in the industrial sector, services and households contributed to this growth. The ambient energy captured by heat pumps for heating is taken into account. The proportion of energy from renewable sources in heating and cooling is presented in the following Figure.
Among 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%). On 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%).
EU exceeds 2020 renewable energy target
At The European Union (EU) level, the share of gross final consumption of energy from renewable sources reached 22% in 2020. This is 2 percentage points (pp) above the target level for 2020, as included in Directive 2009/28/EC on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources.
This is an important achievement and an important milestone on the EU's path to climate neutrality by 2050.
The Directive also defines national targets for 2020, which were set taking into account the starting point and overall potential of renewables in each country. Looking at national targets, 26 Member States met or exceeded them by 2020. Some countries had to complete statistical transfers in 2020 to meet their targets. The Member States that significantly exceeded their targets for 2020 were Sweden, Croatia (both +11 pp) and Bulgaria (+7 pp). France, on the other hand, did not reach its target (-3.9 pp).
Source: Eurostat.
