chrisdh79 OP t1_je9mp3j wrote
From the article: The provisional political agreement, which was reached after nightlong negotiations between the EU parliament and states, seeks to raise the share of renewable energy to 42.5 percent, from 22 percent today.
The EU has set an ambitious target to become a "climate neutral" economy by 2050, with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.
The move also comes as the EU has sought to slash its dependence on Russian fossil fuels after Moscow cut gas supplies last year and the bloc placed bans on seaborne crude and other petroleum products from the country.
The figure is a compromise between the 45 percent share for renewables that was sought by EU lawmakers and the European Commission, the EU's executive branch, and the 40 percent preferred by the states.
The previous target for 2030 had been set at 32 percent.
The proposed directive seeks cutting red tape for renewable energy projects.
The goal is to "fast-track the deployment of renewable energies" as part of the EU's plan "to become independent from Russian fossil fuels, after Russia's invasion of Ukraine", said a statement from the Council of the EU which represents the bloc's governments.
Companies have complained that red tape has slowed the development of such infrastructure.
Sol3dweller t1_jedtmq0 wrote
edit: nevermind, I figured now it is talking about total energy consumption, not just electricity. It's just a coincidence that the 22% matches up with wind+solar for electricity.
It's a little bit confusing, as renewables generally includes hydro and biomass. While the cited numbers are rather only wind+solar. If you include the others, renewables had a share of 38.6% in 2022 in the EU. 22% are just wind+solar, so I think that this article solely refers to those and their doubling.
The EU increased its solar share from 3.33% in 2014 to 7.27% in 2022 in the course of eight years. And it's wind share from 7.86% to 15.01%. So, a doubling over the next eight years is essentially just a continued exponential projection of the trend so far.
Which shows how unambitious the previous goal was. Now with the expectation of rising electricity demand, due to electrification of other sectors, this increase in share amounts to more absolute increases, but still, it appears like a fairly realistic target.
tomato-is-vegetable t1_je9os03 wrote
> The move also comes as the EU has sought to slash its dependence on Russian fossil fuels after Moscow cut gas supplies last year and the bloc placed bans on seaborne crude and other petroleum products from the country.
Does this mean switching to American fracked gas?
TropoMJ t1_je9yfdw wrote
The biggest changes in gas supply have come from the US and Norway, but the EU is also striking agreements with a diverse list of partners. Additionally, increased pace of renewables installation and reducing demand for power are playing a substantial role. Gas usage in the EU dropped significantly in the EU last year and that drop is likely to continue into this year.
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