In January 2022, Eurostat published the latest figures concerning the use of renewable energy in the EU.

According to the latest results, in 2020, the share of gross final energy consumption from renewable sources reached 22% at the EU level, overachieving its 2020 renewable energy target. Within the EU, Sweden had the highest share among the EU Member States in 2020 with 60%, ahead of Finland (44%) and Latvia (42%). At the opposite end, the lowest proportions of renewables were registered in Malta (11%), followed by Luxembourg (12%) and Belgium (13%).

When accounting for gross electricity consumption only, renewable energy sources made up 37% of gross electricity consumption in the EU, up from 34% in 2019. Among the EU Member States, more than 70% of electricity consumed in 2020 was generated from renewable sources in Austria (78%) and Sweden (75%). Similarly, it accounted for more than 50% in Denmark (65%), Portugal (58%), Croatia and Latvia (both 53%). In contrast, the share of electricity from renewable sources was 15% or less in Malta (10%), Hungary (12%), Cyprus (12%), Luxembourg (14%) and Czechia (15%).

The biggest share of renewable energy came from wind with 36%, followed by hydropower with 33%. The remaining came from solar power (14%), solid biofuels (8%) and other renewable sources (8%). Solar power is the fastest-growing source: in 2008, it only accounted for 1% of the electricity consumed in the EU.

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