Recent Publications

The development of renewable energy sources (RES) is a priority for the EU. This report provides a compilation of the different support schemes and measures implemented by the EU countries since the 2009 Renewable Energy Directive (RED) came into force. It focuses to a large extent on the information provided under RED's formal reporting process, complemented by information from other referenced sources. The most common mechanisms for renewable electricity feed-in tariffs and feed-in premiums, but recently competitive auctions are becoming increasingly popular. The focus of support for renewables was has been strongly on electricity generation but has broadening to also the heating/cooling and transport sectors. Download 

The slowdown of renewable energy deployment is a concern and needs to be avoided in the time the EU is aiming higher shares of renewables in 2030. Through a cost-optimal approach the EU ought to double in 2030 the current share of renewables in electricity sector. The important changes in electricity sector and in the related markets have already occurred, bringing to the question on how much these changes are reflected in the European Commission scenarios assumptions and results.  Download

The energy sector accounts for the lion’s share (55 %) of greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union (EU). While EU emissions had fallen by 22.1 % in 2015 compared with 1990, and continue to fall, the bloc’s economy grew by 27 % over that period. Since the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) entered into force, use of renewables has continued to grow in the 3 EU sectors that consume most energy (electricity, heating/ cooling and transport). This has done much to cut emissions. While the renewable share in gross final energy consumption rose from 12.4 % in 2009 to almost 17 % in 2015, EU emissions fell year-on-year by an annual average of 8.5 %. Fossil fuels are increasingly being displaced by renewables. The displacement between 1990 and 2015 amounted to 139 Mtoe equal to 11.5 % of the gross inland consumption of fossil fuels. The electricity sector accounted for almost 40 % of this displacement, with rapidly growing new technologies such as wind and photovoltaics accounting for almost 18 % of total fossil fuel displacement. Without renewable energy sources, total emissions in the EU would have been 8.7 % higher in 2009, 13.8 % higher in 2014 and 14.4 % higher in 2015. Download   EPub

This report presents an overview of renewable energy development and progress expected by 2020, as forecasted in the EU Member States’ reporting under the Renewable Energy Directive and projected in the EU Reference 2016 and EUCO27 scenarios. The report compares the progress achieved between 2005 and 2015, as reported by EU Member States in their progress reports and the Eurostat SHARES Tool, with the expected results as set out in their national renewable energy action plans. The report goes on to describe in detail each Member State’s overall contribution to the development of renewable energy since 2005. The findings draw on the Member States’ reporting under the Renewable Energy Directive, the progress each country has made in the use of each renewable energy source and the contribution of renewable energy in each Member State to the heating/cooling, electricity and transport sectors. Findings are summarised in standardised tables and graphs, enabling quick comparison between different countries and for the EU as a whole. Download

This report presents a detailed view of the energy mix of the Danube region countries for the period 1990-2013 as well as energy efficiency and renewable energy indicators as reported for year 2013 together with the expected progress up to 2020. In particular, the report focuses on the current and projected development of bioenergy in Danube region countries providing a deep analysis of its deployment in the three main sectors of Electricity, Heating/Cooling and Transport. Download

Biomass is and will remain the main renewable energy source in the European Union although in relative terms its contribution will decrease from 53.7% in 2012 to 45% in 2020 due to the fast penetration of new renewable technologies, especially wind, PV and heat pumps. Between 2005 and 2012 more than 50% of additional renewable electricity in the EU was provided by wind power. Solar photovoltaics increased by a factor of 46 during the same time span whereas heat pumps increased their absolute contribution in heating/cooling sector by a factor larger than 10. In 2020 wind power will overcome hydropower becoming the second renewable energy source in the EU accounting for more than 17% of final renewable energy expected. Download

Brief available at https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/publication/brochures-leaflets/brief-biomass-energy-european-union 

Oral presentation at ICRERA 2018   7th International Conference on Renewable Energy Research and Applications.  Paper available at https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8566800 

European Biomass Conference and Exhibition 2018, 14-17 May 2018, Copenhagen, Denmark, ISSN 0973-0826, JRC108922. 

An overview from National Renewable Energy Action Plans and Progress Reports", Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Volume 51, November 2015, Pages 969–985,  

 A Scenario based Assessment from National Renewable Energy Action Plans Proposals" , Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 18 (2013), pp. 595–606  

Assessment of Impacts and Risks of Air Pollution Applying Two Strategies of Numerical Chemistry Transport Modeling", Journal of Environmental Protection, Vol. 3, N.1, pp.26-40.