The European evolution of going green

History

The 1990s saw a growing emphasis on advancing renewable energy sources. Notable milestones during this period included the adoption of the White Paper on Renewable Energy Sources and the EU's commitment to the Kyoto Protocol in 1997. In the 2000s, the EU further intensified its efforts to promote renewable energy. A key example was the adoption of Directive 2001/77/EC on the promotion of electricity produced from renewable energy sources within the internal electricity market.

The 2009 Lisbon Treaty recognised the energy sector as a shared competence between the EU and Member States, introducing Article 194 into the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU aimed at promoting energy efficiency and energy saving as well as the development of renewable energy. In 2009, the Renewable Energy Directive was passed and established a framework for the utilisation of renewable energy sources. It also introduced binding national targets for all EU Member States, with the overarching goal of ensuring that renewable energy sources would account for 20 % of the EU's total energy consumption by 2020.

A significant development for the European RES market was the creation of the Energy Union in 2015, which aims to provide consumers with secure, sustainable, competitive and affordable energy. The status of the Energy Union is assessed through annual reports, which evaluate the progress made and the challenges encountered in the transition to clean energy.

The Clean Energy for All Europeans package, adopted in 2019, set another ambitious target of achieving 32 % renewables in the EU's energy mix by 2030, through the adoption of the revised Renewable Energy Directive (RED II). In addition, the package set a goal to increase energy efficiency by at least 32.5 % by 2030.

A major breakthrough was the introduction of the European Green Deal in 2019. Its primary goals include making Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050 and reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55 % in 2030 compared to 1990 levels. Additionally, the "Fit for 55" package was passed, introducing legislative proposals to revise and update existing EU laws and establish new initiatives align with the EU's climate objectives. This led to the second revision of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED III), which sets an overall renewable energy target of at least 42.5 % binding at the EU level by 2030, with the aim of reaching 45 %.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 triggered an energy crisis, prompting the EU to adopt even more intensive measures to diversify energy sources and reduce its dependence on fossil fuels. The REPowerEU programme was introduced with the aim of reducing the EU's reliance on Russian fossil fuels by accelerating the overall transition away from fossil fuels, diversifying the supply of raw materials, speeding up the development of renewable energy sources, and enhancing the interconnections between European gas and electricity networks.

Poland, for example, is actively advancing the development of renewable energy sources. The country's energy policies have increasingly aligned with the EU's Green Deal and the Fit for 55 package. This includes the planned update of the National Energy and Climate Plan by the end of 2024, which will set the latest EU climate and energy targets for 2030 and account for recent technological developments and changes in the energy landscape. The dominance of hard coal and lignite in Poland's energy mix is expected to gradually give way to green technologies, including innovations in energy storage, grid integration and sustainable energy solutions.

Future development directions

The EU's clean energy transition has quickly progressed from the voluntary promotion of renewable energy to binding commitments, reshaping the regulatory landscape across all Member States. This commitment to support clean energy is anticipated to continue. However, the rapid success of renewable energy projects, especially PV and wind farms, has introduced new challenges that require appropriate regulatory measures and additional support mechanisms. These challenges include delays in the development of grid infrastructure, the need for redispatching renewable energy generation, and the necessity of proper support for new large-scale battery energy storage systems to help alleviate grid congestion.

authors: Grzegorz Filipowicz, Karina Krzoska