We welcome the provisional political agreement by the European Union to increase its renewable energy target to 42.5% in 2030 with the aim to reach 45%, up from its current target of 32%. The increase follows an agreement earlier this month to increase the energy efficiency targets to 11.7% by 2030. This increase in ambition is highly needed as the Preview of International Renewable Energy Agency’s (IRENA) World Energy Transitions Outlook 2023 shows.
2022 has seen the world’s largest-ever annual increase in new renewable capacity of almost 300 GW, and Europe accounted for 8.8% of all new additions. But annual deployment levels of renewable's power globally must triple to some 1000 GW by 2030 to keep a 1.5C perspective alive.
Europe alone will need at least 592 GW of solar PV capacity and 510 GW of wind capacity to reach its target objective of 69% of electricity production from renewables. This is a tall order and, to deliver, all stakeholders, most notably citizens and communities, must be part of the strategy.
In Europe, the energy crisis has taught all of us that bold, transformative measures are needed to grow renewables in all sectors and instigate the structural changes required for the renewables-based energy transition. Today’s agreement on the Renewable Energy Directive includes subtargets and dedicated measures to also increase renewables uptake in buildings, industry and the transport sector.
This is why today’s agreement on the Renewable Energy Directive marks an important pillar of our REPowerEU plan, and will make Europe more competitive and resilient. The agreement will speed up the permitting of renewables, which has been a bottleneck in previous years. It will also set ambitious new targets for the uptake of renewable hydrogen, allowing our industries to shift towards climate-neutral production processes.
The agreement on a new, ambitious Renewable Energy Directive is good news for renewables not only in Europe but for the entire world. The increase of the EU’s renewable energy target confirms the energy transition leadership of the EU. It also sends a strong signal globally that despite multiple global crises, implementing an ambitious decarbonisation agenda through renewables brings energy security, boosts energy independence and drives innovation and industrial competitiveness. Europe’s domestic renewable ambition must go hand in hand with a fresh approach to international cooperation to support partners in realising their clean energy objectives for resilient and prosperous economies and societies.
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Details
- Publication date
- 30 March 2023
- Author
- Directorate-General for Energy