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Renewable energies such as wind power, solar energy, hydropower and biomass can play a major role in tackling the twin challenge of energy security and global warming because they are not depletable and produce less greenhouse-gas emissions than fossil fuels.

Since the energy crises of the 1970s, several industrial nations have launched programmes to develop renewable energy solutions, but the return of low oil prices prevented renewable energies from picking up on a large commercial scale.

Today, renewable energies cover 13.1% of global primary energy supply and 17.9% of global electricity production (IEA, 2007). The IEA's World Energy Outlook 2006 foresees in its Alternative Policy Scenario that the share of renewables in global energy consumption by 2030 will remain largely unchanged at 14%. Renewables in electricity generation are expected to grow to around 25%, according to the IEA.

The European Commission published a White Paper in 1997 setting out a Community strategy for achieving a 12% share of renewables in the EU's energy mix. The decision was motivated by concerns about security of supply and environmental protection.

The 12% target was adopted in a 2001 directive on the promotion of electricity from renewable energy sources, which also included a 22.1% target for electricity for the EU-15. The legislation was an important part of the EU's measures to deliver on commitments made under the Kyoto Protocol.

Nevertheless, the targets were not binding and it became evident that they would not be met.

In January 2007, the Commission published a Renewable Energy Roadmap outlining a long-term strategy. It called for a mandatory target of a 20% share of renewable energies in the EU's energy mix by 2020. The target was endorsed by EU leaders in March 2007.

To achieve this objective, the EU adopted a new Renewables Directive in April 2009, which set individual targets for each member state.

Member states' targets:
A new EU directive on renewable energies, agreed in December 2008, requires each member state to increase its share of renewable energies - such as solar, wind or hydro - in the bloc's energy mix to raise the overall share from 8.5% today to 20% by 2020. A 10% share of 'green fuels' in transport is also included within the overall EU target (EurActiv 05/12/08).

To achieve the objective, every nation in the 27-member bloc is required to increase its share of renewables by 5.5% from 2005 levels, with the remaining increase calculated on the basis of per capita gross domestic product (GDP).