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A competitive, sustainable and secure energy supply is the key element for continued positive
development of industry and the economy in the EU and the prosperity of the population.
Thus the expansion of renewable energy supplies is an essential element of the EU Strategy
2020. The introduction of the Electricity Directive in 2001 gave a positive impetus to the
expansion of renewables in the electricity sector. Special mention must be made here of the
contribution made by solar energy and wind power.
Photovoltaic has displayed exponential development in the last 10 years. At the end of 2010
an estimated total of 29.3 GW p photovoltaic capacity was installed in the EU. New capacity
added in 2010 came to around 13 GW p . From a global point of view, the EU leads the field in
terms of both total installed capacity and market share 2010 [120], [142].
In the wind sector, the EU ranks third among the global Top Ten, with a total installed capacity
of 84.1 GW. Moreover, a quarter of global wind energy capacity was added in the EU in
2010, putting the EU in fifth place in the global Top Ten [111].
The International Energy Agency estimates total global solar collector capacity at the end of
2009 to be 172.4 GHW th . Around 15 % of this is installed in EU Member States [110]. The contribution
of marine energy to energy supplies in the EU, and also in global terms, is still negligible,
but this sector is believed to have considerable potential. The world’s first commercial
wave power plant was connected to the grid on 8 July 2011 in Mutriku/Spain. The plant has a
total capacity of 300 kW and is expected to supply around 250 households with electricity in
future. [144].
With total investments of 77.4 billion USD in green technologies, the EU-27 led the world
in 2010, according to a study published in March 2011 by the Pew Environmental Group in
Washington. Renewables receive particularly generous assistance in Germany; a total of
41.2 billion USD has been invested in renewable energy technologies. Germany is thus the
world’s number two, after China with 54.4 billion USD. The USA, with 34.0 billion USD, took
third place ahead of Italy, which invested 13.9 billion USD in renewables [121].
eU: USe oF renewable energieS
Renewable Energy Sources in Figures
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