4.3 What is the share of renewable energy in the EU?
The share of renewable energy in energy consumption increased continuously between 2004 and 2015, from 8.5 % to 16.7 %, approaching the Europe 2020 target of 20 % by 2020.
The share of renewable energy in the Member States was highest in Sweden (53.9 % of energy consumption) followed by Finland (39.3 %) and Latvia (37.6 %). This share was lowest in Luxembourg and Malta (both 5.0 %), the Netherlands (5.8 %) and Belgium (7.9 %). Differences stem from variations in the endowment with natural resources, mostly in the potential for building hydropower plants and in the availability of biomass. All Member States increased their renewable energy share between 2004 and 2015, thirteen have at least doubled their share.
