The sun rises between wind turbines and high-voltage power lines in the Hanover region of Germany on March 8. (Julian Stratenschulte / picture-alliance / dpa / AP)
Despite fears that Russia’s war in Ukraine could mean a return to more fossil fuels, most European Union countries are putting forward more ambitious plans to boost renewable energy.
Nineteen of the 27 EU member states have announced more ambitious medium-term plans in response to the war and rising fossil fuel prices, according to a new report from the Center for Energy and Clean Air Research, an independent research group based in Finland, and Ember. , British Energy Trust.
The report, released on Thursday, says EU countries have reduced the total amount of energy they seek to obtain from fossil fuels by 2030 by almost a third compared to their plans in 2019.
Instead of supplying 55% of electricity from renewable sources, as previously planned, EU countries are now aiming for a share of 63% by 2030, the report said. As of January 2022, the EU receives 22% of its energy from renewable sources.
“The transition to electricity is not only a matter of climate problems, but also a matter of ensuring a stable energy supply for European households and businesses,” the report said. “This is especially evident for the largest importers of Russian fuels, with Germany, Italy and the Netherlands increasing their ambitions for wind and solar energy, France subsidizing housing insulation, and others increasing heat pump installations and electrifying transport.
The report says Portugal, the Netherlands, Austria and Denmark are on track to get almost all of their electricity from renewable sources by 2030.
Germany, Russia’s largest importer of oil and gas, now plans to supply 80% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030, up from 62% earlier. Italy, Ireland and Greece account for up to 70% of renewable energy in electricity generation, the report added.
The EU is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030 from 1990 levels and becoming carbon neutral by 2050. Carbon neutral means that emissions are drastically reduced and everyone else is compensated, regardless whether natural methods such as tree planting or technology to “capture” emissions are used.
Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, the three countries with the lowest planned share of renewable energy sources, have not updated their plans for 2019, the report said.
The report comes just days after Hungary negotiated an exemption from the EU’s ban on Russian oil imports. The oil embargo, part of a new package of EU sanctions against Russia over its war against Ukraine, includes about 90% of Russia’s oil imports, but not about 10%, which pass to Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic via the Soviet Union. . -era of Druzhba pipeline.
Poland has agreed to the embargo and will stop importing Russian oil, but still plans to supply 67% of its electricity from fossil fuels in 2030 due to its high dependence on coal.
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