On March 30, the European Union reached a political agreement on Thursday on an ambitious 2030 target to expand the use of renewable energy, a key step in its plan to tackle climate change and abandon Russian fossil fuels, Reuters reported.
The agreement calls for an 11.7 percent reduction in final energy consumption across the EU by 2030, which parliamentarians say will help combat climate change and reduce Europe’s use of Russian fossil fuels.
EU countries and the European Parliament agreed to increase the share of renewable energy in the EU’s total final energy consumption from the current 32 percent to 42.5 percent by 2030, European Parliament member Markus Piper tweeted.
The agreement still needs to be formally approved by the European Parliament and EU member states.
Previously, in July 2021, the EU proposed a new package of “Fit for 55″ (a commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by the end of 2030 compared to the 1990 target), of which the bill to increase the share of renewable energy is an important component. 2021 since the second half of the world situation has changed suddenly The Russian-Ukrainian conflict crisis has created major energy supply problems. In order to accelerate the 2030 to get rid of the dependence on Russian fossil energy, while ensuring the economic recovery from the new crown epidemic, accelerate the pace of renewable energy replacement is still the most important way out of the EU.
Renewable energy is key to Europe’s goal of climate neutrality and will enable us to secure our long-term energy sovereignty,” said Kadri Simson, the EU commissioner responsible for energy affairs. With this agreement, we give investors certainty and affirm the EU’s role as a global leader in renewable energy deployment, and a frontrunner in the clean energy transition.”
The data shows that 22 percent of the EU’s energy will come from renewable sources in 2021, but there are significant differences between countries. Sweden leads the 27 EU member states with a 63 percent share of renewable energy, while in countries like the Netherlands, Ireland, and Luxembourg, renewable energy accounts for less than 13 percent of total energy use.
To meet the new targets, Europe needs to make massive investments in wind and solar farms, expand renewable gas production and strengthen Europe’s power grid to integrate more clean resources. The European Commission has said that an additional €113 billion of investment in renewable energy and hydrogen infrastructure will be needed by 2030 if the EU is to completely move away from its dependence on Russian fossil fuels.
Post time: Mar-31-2023