The European Union May Beat 2020 Renewable Energy Target

Despite all the people that have been criticizing the European Union’s renewable energy plan, it seems that they may actually be able to beat their energy target for 2020. A report that was submitted to the European Commission showed that national forecasts predict that the European Union will get 20.3 percent of its energy from renewable sources by the next decade. Right now this is about .3 percent higher than the European Union’s target of 20 percent.

Although some are saying that .3 percent should not matter and it’s not a big deal, other experts beg to differ. They go on to say that many were putting the renewable energy plans down, saying that they would never reach 20 percent by 2020. Now they are predicting that they may actually beat this number. These people are upset that these reports only show a small improvement over the original goal. Thus, it goes to show that some people will always find something to complain about. Before they were complaining about not reaching the goal, and now that they will reach it, they start to complain about not beating it by more.

The European commissioner that is responsible for energy, Gunther Oettinger, said that the forecasts show that member states take renewable energy very seriously. They are really dedicated to pushing their domestic production. This report is a very positive sign for the environment. It is also a very positive message for the economy. Overall, it shows an incentive to invest in green technology and the production of renewable energy.

The targets are all part of the Renewable Energy Directive, which requires European Union member states to deliver a report concerning their domestic renewable energy sources. In 2007, renewables only represented nine percent of total energy production.