EU on Track to Meet 2020 Target for Renewable Energy

European Union (EU) countries are on track to meet their 2020 targets for renewable energy and emissions cuts but could fall short of ambitious longer-term goals, according to the European Environment Agency (EEA).

“The EU’s 2020 targets on energy and climate are now well within reach,” EEA Executive Director Hans Bruyninckx said in a statement released with the report.

“But certain trends are alarming, in particular for transport. In that sector, renewable energy use remains insufficient and greenhouse gas emissions are rising again,” he added. The bloc’s 2020 target calls for 20 per cent of gross final energy consumption to come from renewable sources, and that number rose to 16.4 per cent in 2015 from 16.0 per cent in 2014, according to preliminary estimates cited in the report. Energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions grew slightly in 2015 but, admittedly, the increase came after ‘an exceptionally warm winter’ the previous year, which led to lower energy demand for heating, it said.

Source: http://energy.economictimes.indiatimes.com/