Doubling the share of solar, wind and other renewable energy in Europe’s energy mix by the end decade a draft of the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive confirms the bloc’s goal of obtaining 38-40 % of energy from renewable sources by 2030. European Commission’s revised Renewable Energy Directive will be presented in mid-July as part of a wider package of laws aimed at meeting the EU’s updated 2030 climate targets. Only two weeks ago, policymakers agreed on a new European climate law that, for the first time, makes the goal of climate neutrality in 2050 a legal obligation for the EU.
The new law also sets an objective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels, although that goal will also take into account carbon removals from forestry and land use, making the gross target look more like a 52 or 53 % reduction.
The energy sector contributes more than 75 % of total EU greenhouse gas emissions, and energy efficiency and renewable energy sources are therefore central to the more ambitious climate targets for 2030.
The current Directive was last updated in 2018 and aims for a 32 % share of renewable energy sources in the EU’s energy mix by 2030. Increasing this target to 38-40 % means doubling the share of renewable energy sources, which currently covers about 20 % of the energy needs at the EU level.
