Transitioning to Clean Energy: A Comprehensive Analysis of Renewable Electricity Generation in the EU-27

• Published in: Energies (Basel) Vol. 16; no. 18; p. 6415
• Main Authors: Dolge, Kristiana, Blumberga, Dagnija
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01-09-2023
• Subjects: Alternative energy sources; Analysis; decomposition analysis; Electric power production; Energy consumption; Energy industry; Energy policy; European Union; Forecasts and trends; Green technology; LMDI; Natural gas; Nuclear energy; renewable electricity; renewable energy; Solar energy; Eastern Europe; Western Europe; Spain; Greece; Latvia; Austria; Czech Republic; Netherlands; Sweden; China; Slovakia; France; Germany
• ISSN: 1996-1073; 1996-1073
• DOI: 10.3390/en16186415

The EU power sector is under increasing pressure due to rising electricity demand and the need to meet decarbonisation targets. Member states have been active in investing in renewables and building capacity to increase their share of renewables in electricity generation. However, it is important to examine what progress each member state has made in the deployment of renewable energy for electricity generation and what factors influence gross electricity generation from renewable energy. In this study, logarithmic mean Divisia index (LMDI) analysis was used to examine the changes in EU-27 countries’ gross electricity generation from renewable energy sources (RES), wind, and solar PV from 2012 to 2021. The results show that the RES deployment per capita effect and the RES share effect were the main positive factors for the total gross electricity generation from RES in the EU. In contrast, the RES capacity productivity effect and the energy intensity effect had negative contributions. Population growth had a positive influence but was less significant than the other factors. The deployment of RES per capita effect was the main factor in the overall growth of gross electricity generation from RES in Northern Europe, Central Western Europe, and Central Eastern Europe, according to comparisons between the regional groups. RES share effect was the main driver in Southern Europe. The decrease in RES capacity productivity was the second most important factor influencing the variation in the amount of energy generated by RES in Northern Europe and Central Western Europe. The results could be used to develop more effective and tailored renewable energy policies that take into account the existing main drivers of RES, wind, and solar energy in each of the EU-27 member states.