scholarly journals Achievements of the European Union Countries in Seeking a Sustainable Electricity Sector

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 2254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Indre Siksnelyte ◽  
Edmundas Kazimieras Zavadskas
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Electricity Sector ◽  
Energy Sources ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Eu Countries ◽  
Sustainable Electricity ◽  
The Eu

The electricity production sector has a significant share of final energy consumption and has a huge potential to use more renewable energy sources. Over the last two decades, the European Union (EU) reform of electricity markets has had positive results, and market liberalization acts as a stimulus for energy efficiency, lower prices, and technological progress. Today’s EU policy for the development of electricity and the entire energy sector seeks to provide system modernization, stability, reinforcement of the single market, and implementation of climate change policy with an emphasis on the decarbonization of energy sources and the increase of energy efficiency. After all of the EU efforts to form an electricity sector in member states, it is necessary to assess the efficiency of the policy implemented and to identify the results achieved in shaping a sustainable electricity sector. The purpose of this article is to carry out a sustainability assessment of the electricity sector in the EU countries. A set of eight indicators designed to assess the sustainability of the electricity sector of different EU countries in 2017 has been drawn up. The assessment is made using the multi-criteria decision-making method (MCDM) Technique for Order Preference (TOPSIS). The assessment shows that the electricity market of Slovenia is the most sustainable, with Luxembourg in the second position in the EU.

scholarly journals Changes in Energy Consumption in Agriculture in the EU Countries

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 1570
Author(s):  
Tomasz Rokicki ◽  
Aleksandra Perkowska ◽  
Bogdan Klepacki ◽  
Piotr Bórawski ◽  
Aneta Bełdycka-Bórawska ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Correlation Coefficient ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Energy Sources ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Eu Countries ◽  
Research Hypothesis ◽  
The Eu

The paper’s main purpose was to identify and present the current situation and changes in energy consumption in agriculture in the European Union (EU) countries. The specific objectives were the determination of the degree of concentration of energy consumption in agriculture in the EU countries, showing the directions of their changes, types of energy used, and changes in this respect, establishing the correlation between energy consumption and changes in the economic and agricultural situation in the EU countries. All member states of the European Union were deliberately selected for research on 31 December 2018 (28 countries). The research period covered the years 2005–2018. The sources of materials were the literature on the subject, and data from Eurostat. Descriptive, tabular, and graphical methods were used to analyze and present materials, dynamics indicators with a stable base, Gini concentration coefficient, concentration analysis using the Lorenz curve, coefficient of variation, Kendall’s tau correlation coefficient, and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient. A high concentration of energy consumption in agriculture was found in several EU countries, the largest in countries with the largest agricultural sector, i.e., France and Poland. There were practically no changes in the concentration level. Only in the case of renewable energy, a gradual decrease in concentration was visible. More and more countries developed technologies that allow the use of this type of energy. However, the EU countries differed in terms of the structure of the energy sources used. The majority of the basis was liquid fuels, while stable and gaseous fuels were abandoned in favor of electricity and renewable sources—according to which, in the EU countries, the research hypothesis was confirmed: a gradual diversification of energy sources used in agriculture, with a systematic increase in the importance of renewable energy sources. The second research hypothesis was also confirmed, according to which the increase in the consumption of renewable energy in agriculture is closely related to the economy’s parameters. The use of renewable energy is necessary and results from concern for the natural environment. Therefore, economic factors may have a smaller impact.

scholarly journals Analyzing Similarities between the European Union Countries in Terms of the Structure and Volume of Energy Production from Renewable Energy Sources

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 913 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jarosław Brodny ◽  
Magdalena Tutak
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Energy Production ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Geographical Location ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Energy Sources ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Eu Countries ◽  
The Eu

The European Union (EU) countries, as one of the most economically developed regions in the world, are taking increasingly decisive actions to reduce the emission of harmful substances into the natural environment. This can be exemplified by a new climate strategy referred to as “The European Green Deal”. Its basic assumption is that the EU countries will have achieved climate neutrality by 2050. To do so, it is necessary to make an energy transition involving the widest possible use of renewable energy sources (RES) for energy production. However, activities in this area should be preceded by analyses due to the large diversity of the EU countries in terms of economic development, the number of inhabitants and their wealth as well as geographical location and area. The results of such analyses should support the implementation of adopted strategies. In order to assess the current state of the energy sector in the EU and indicate future directions of activities, research was carried out to analyze the structure and volume of energy production from RES in the EU countries. The aim of the study was to divide the EU countries into similar groups by the structure and volume of energy production from RES. This production was compared with the number of inhabitants of each EU country, its area and the value of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This approach allows a new and broader view of the structure of energy production from RES and creates an opportunity to take into account additional factors when developing and implementing new climate strategies. The k-means algorithm was used for the analysis. The presented analyses and obtained results constitute a new approach to studying the diversified energy market in the EU. The results should be used for the development of a common energy and climate policy and economic integration of the EU countries.

scholarly journals The Policy of Renewable Energy Sources in the Function of the Environmental Protection in the EU

2015 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 344-353
Author(s):  
Dejan Ž. Đorđević ◽  
Milan Veselinović
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Energy Policy ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Energy Sources ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Effective Response ◽  
Total Energy Balance ◽  
The Eu

AbstractThe policy of renewable energy sources has gained more importance over recent years. The European Union is facing serious challenges regarding greenhouse gas emissions and energy sustainability, followed by the supply security, import dependence and competitiveness as well as the effective implementation of the internal energy market. The energy policy of the European Union is the most effective response to the new situation the member states of the European Union are facing. The EU energy policy aims to cause a new industrial revolution and the growth of the economic energy efficiency with low emissions of carbon dioxide. In order to achieve this, targets have been set for the future. Among them is the increase in the share of production and consumption of renewable energy in the total energy balance.

scholarly journals ECONOMIC AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY OF AGRICULTURE IN POLAND COMPARED TO OTHER EUROPEAN UNION COUNTRIES

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-105
Author(s):  
Marcin Wysokiński ◽  
Magdalena Golonko ◽  
Paulina Trębska ◽  
Arkadiusz Gromada ◽  
Qi Jun Jiang
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Dominant Role ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Energy Sources ◽  
The European Union ◽  
External Energy ◽  
Main Research ◽  
Improve Energy Efficiency

Modern agriculture is dependent on external energy sources. Non-renewable energy sources play a dominant role, which contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and, as a consequence, to environmental degradation. Therefore, it becomes obvious to strive to improve energy efficiency and change the structure of its sources. One of the main research goals was to determine the economic and energy efficiency of agriculture in EU countries and assess its energy consumption by analysing energy consumption per employee or 1 ha of utilized agricultural area. The work analyses changes in energy consumption in agriculture of the European Union and its members. Eurostat data was used for the analysis.

scholarly journals Prospects for development of Ukraine and EU in the field of renewable energy sources

2019 ◽  
Vol 61 ◽  
pp. 01008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mykola Khomenko ◽  
Kateryna Pryakhina ◽  
Kostyantyn Latyshev
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Alternative Energy ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Energy Sources ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Small Hydropower ◽  
The Eu

In article assessment of tendencies and prospects of cooperation between Ukraine and the European Union in the field of renewable energy sources was carried out. Over the past decades, the theme of climate change, especially caused by human activity, has become one of the most acute and most exploited in scientific disputes. Today, the problem of finding new sources of energy is more than acute, with a special place occupy non-traditional ones. The reduction of Ukraine's energy dependence on traditional fuel resources is possible only through the development and use own alternative energy, which uses local resources – bioenergy as a fuel or does not require a fuel component at all – solar, wind and small hydropower. The European Union is one of the leaders in the implementation of alternative energy and renewable energy sources and initiates the creation of many organizations that finance alternative energy projects. Ukraine should ensure the effective convergence of its own legislation with the European Union, since it defined the European integration vector as a priority area of foreign policy development. At the same time, within the framework of the Union, the mechanism of environmental protection and progressive approaches to the implementation of energy policy, including in the field of renewable energy, can serve as the most constructive benchmarks for Ukraine's development in this area. Ukraine signed the Paris Agreement, and undertook certain commitments, namely: in accordance with the National Action Plan on alternative energy up to 2020, the objective was to reach 11% of RES in gross final energy consumption. Achieving this goal is possible only in the case of international cooperation with the EU in the field of alternative energy. However, today, the study of the prospects of cooperation between Ukraine and the EU in this field is not developing sufficiently and there is a certain vacuum in solving strategic problems in this context, which determines the relevance of the topic.

THE USE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES IN POLAND AGAINST A EUROPEAN UNION BACKGROUND

2019 ◽  
Vol XXI (4) ◽  
pp. 106-115
Author(s):  
Natalia Dominiak ◽  
Natalia Oleszczyk
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Energy Sources ◽  
Eu Countries ◽  
Energy Union ◽  
Europe 2020 ◽  
Union Policy ◽  
The Eu

The purpose of the analysis was to determine the degree of use of renewable energy sources in Poland in comparison to other EU countries. The article presents the degree of use of renewable energy sources in Poland against a background of European Union countries together with the quantitative use of renewable energy sources in Poland, since 2010. Poland, like other EU countries, aims at meeting its obligations towards the energy union policy and achieving the target for energy from renewable sources by 2020, in accordance with the adopted EU strategy “Europe 2020”. The results and ways of achieving the goal by Poland were presented, as well as the breakdown of Member State contributions, which are the sum of EU-level goals by 2030. Research was based on secondary data obtained from the EU statistical agency Eurostat. The publication uses, among others: analysis of domestic and foreign literature sources and analysis of secondary data expressed in real values, the results of which are presented in tabular form. For the purposes of this publication, a method of targeted selection of quantitative parameters was used, which will allow an analysis and comparison of the degree of renewable energy development in Poland and the EU. The analyzes covered the years 2010-2017. The analyzes carried out indicate that the slowdown or growth in achieving the goal is largely influenced by current economic development or slowdown, expenditure on supporting renewable energy policy, administrative procedures and current country policy. Trends in the use of renewable energy depend on, among others the above factors.

scholarly journals Using MCDM Methods to Assess the Extent to which the European Union Countries Use Renewable Energy

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 190-199
Author(s):  
Magdalena Tutak
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Sustainable Energy ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Energy Development ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Eu Countries ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Eu

Abstract Energy security is one of the basic tasks carried out by individual countries. It is of great socio-economic and political importance and constitutes the basis for independent development of both economies and groups of countries. Access to adequate resources of affordable and environmentally neutral energy in the production process is the basis for sustainable energy development. Therefore, an important element of sustainable energy is its environmental neutrality. Currently, this condition is fulfilled to the greatest extent by energy produced from renewable energy sources (RES). Renewable energy development is taking place all over the world, but the European Union (EU) is a definite leader. In its energy policy, the importance and role of RES in the energy production structure has been growing systematically for many years. Introduced regulations and energy strategies caused member states to take extensive actions to achieve the set targets for RES. However, the large diversity of the EU countries makes this process occur with different intensity. Thus, it was justified to conduct research to assess the level of renewable energy use in the EU countries in a 15-year perspective (2004-2019). The research was based on a set of 4 indicators characterizing the use of renewable energy in the EU countries by means of the WASPAS method (from the group of MCDM methods). The results showed that a high level of RES use in the whole studied period was found in Sweden, Austria, Latvia and Finland, and a low level, for 2004, was found in Cyprus, Luxembourg and Malta, and for 2019 – in Luxembourg and Malta.

scholarly journals Trends and prospects for the development of renewable energy sources in the european union

2021 ◽  
Vol 82 (4) ◽  
pp. 366-370
Author(s):  
A. S. Subhonberdiev ◽  
E. V. Titova ◽  
G. N. Egorova
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Energy Sources ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Industrial Enterprises ◽  
Subsidy Program ◽  
The Eu

The largest net exporter of traditional energy resources to the EU countries, Russia should take into account the prospects for the development of renewable energy sources in European countries, since inter-fuel competition can lead to a decrease in demand for hydrocarbons from Russia in the energy markets of the European Union. Fuel granules (pellets) are gradually becoming one of the traditional types of fuel for generating heat and electricity, as well as industrial steam in various industries… All plant biomass in this scenario accounts for only 2.8 GW. The highest cost of electricity generation in the EU determines its dependence on subsidies, as opposed to heat production. The examples of the Netherlands and Great Britain are very indicative. In 2010–2012, the Netherlands was one of the first places in the EU for the import of pellets, because at that time there was a subsidy program for the generation of electricity by co-firing biofuel (pellets) with coal – about 5–6 eurocents per 1 kWh. Since 2013, after the closure of the program, the import of pellets has decreased by more than three times. In the UK, on the contrary: in 2010–2012, the annual import of pellets was about 1 million tons, and after the adoption of the subsidy program by 2020, it approached 9 million tons per year. Sales of renewable energy products to small-scale energy enterprises, primarily for generating thermal energy and industrial steam, are stable throughout the year and predictable, in contrast to supplies to large power plants, which are owned by European and international energy concerns, as a rule, owning controlling stakes in pellet production in the USA and Canada. If for the generation of industrial steam at industrial enterprises pellets can be used all year round, sometimes around the clock, then at thermal power facilities they are used depending on weather conditions, primarily temperature.

scholarly journals Use of Renewable Energy Sources in the European Union and the Visegrad Group Countries—Results of Cluster Analysis

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (18) ◽  
pp. 5680
Author(s):  
Elżbieta Kacperska ◽  
Katarzyna Łukasiewicz ◽  
Piotr Pietrzak
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Cluster Analysis ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Energy Sources ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Renewable Energy Consumption ◽  
Heating And Cooling ◽  
The Eu

Increasing the use of renewable energy sources is one of the strategic objectives of the European Union. In this regard, it seems necessary to answer the question: which of the member countries are the most effective in its implementation? Therefore, the main goal was to distinguish groups of European Union countries, including the Visegrad Group, differing in the use of renewable energy sources in transport, electricity, heating and cooling (based on cluster analysis). All members of the EU were determinedly selected for research on 1 February 2020 (27 countries). The research period embraced the years 2009–2019. The sources of materials were the literature on the topic and data from Eurostat. Descriptive, tabular, graphical methods and cluster analysis were used in the presentation and analysis of materials. In 2019 wind and hydro power accounted for two-thirds of the total electricity generated from renewable sources. In 2019, renewable energy sources made up 34% of gross electricity consumption in the EU-27. Wind and hydro power accounted for two-thirds of the total electricity generated from renewable sources (35% each). Moreover, it was determined that there were 5 clusters that differed in their use of renewable energy sources. The highest average renewable energy consumption in transport, heating and cooling in 2019 was characterized by a cluster consisting of Sweden and Finland. In contrast, the highest average renewable energy consumption in electricity was characterized by a cluster consisting of countries such as: Austria, Croatia, Denmark, Latvia and Portugal. Finally, in a group that included countries such as Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands and the entire VG (Hungary, Czechia, Slovakia and Poland), renewable energy consumption rates (in transport, electricity, heating and cooling) were lower than the EU average (27 countries).

scholarly journals Changes in Electricity Production from Renewable Energy Sources in the European Union Countries in 2005–2019

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (19) ◽  
pp. 6276
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Matuszewska-Janica ◽  
Dorota Żebrowska-Suchodolska ◽  
Urszula Ala-Karvia ◽  
Marta Hozer-Koćmiel
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Energy Policy ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Electricity Production ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Renewable Sources ◽  
Eu Countries ◽  
The Eu

The policy related to the use of renewable sources is a key element of the energy policy executed in the European Union (EU). One of the targets set for 2050 is to increase the share of electricity in energy consumption to 50%, and 80% of electricity is to be generated from low-carbon sources. In recent years, the EU economies have significantly modified their electricity production, which raises the question of the scale of these changes. The aim of the presented analysis is to assess changes in the use of renewable sources for electricity production in the EU countries in 2005–2019. Gini coefficient and k-mean are applied in the analysis. The conducted research shows that EU countries, in line with the energy policy assumptions, have both increased the share of renewable sources in energy production, especially in electricity production, as well as increased the diversity of used renewable sources. The results also indicate a vast diversity in terms of the use of such sources for the production of renewable electricity in the EU. This indicates that the energy transition is being implemented by EU countries with individual country-level approaches. Nonetheless, a variety of the EU’s both support and restrictive measures are of considerable importance for the ongoing energy transition.

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