Bulgaria, Estonia and Sweden surpassed their renewable energy goals for 2020, according to EuroStat data released Tuesday.
The EU aims for its renewable sources to account for 20 percent of the total electricity consumption by 2020. As well as this collective goal, each member country has its own renewable target according to the member states' different starting points, renewable energy potential and economic performance.
Bulgaria had set a domestic target of 16 percent for renewable energy by 2020 but managed to reach 19 percent in 2013, the data shows. In Bulgaria, electricity production from renewable sources is mainly promoted through a feed-in tariff which gives renewable producers the advantage of fixed payment for the electricity at a guaranteed price.
Estonia passed its 25 percent target by 0.6 percent in 2013 while Sweden surpassed its 2020 target of 49 percent by reaching 52.1 percent. Sweden is also the country with the most shares at 52.1 percent allocated to renewable energy in 2013, followed by Latvia, Finland and Austria.
Lithuania reached its 2020 target of 23 percent in 2013, but Romania was short 0.1 percent from its target, Italy was down 0.3 percent from their target and the Czech Republic fell short by 0.6 percent for the 2020 target.
Meanwhile, the share of renewable energy in the total electricity production reached 15 percent in the EU in 2013 - up by 6.7 percent from 2004.
- Renewables' share in transport
The EU also set a target of having renewable energy's share in transport at 10 percent by 2020. Sweden was the only country to surpass the goal with 16.7 percent in 2013. Finland was a close second at 9.9 percent.
Most EU member countries are around the half-way mark to the 2020 objective; however, France and Austria have reached above 7 percent.
Estonia, Spain and Portugal are the farthest from the goal with below one percent share for renewables.
By Zeynep Beyza Karabay
Anadolu Agency
zeynep.karabay@aa.com.tr