Overview of renewable energy situation in Europe focusing on bioenergy and Waste-to-Energy

The renewable energy has been on the agenda in the EU for a while. The Renewable Energy Directive (2009-28/EC) set the framework and the overall target of 20% renewable share in the gross final consumption for 2020. Since then the development have been monitored and the member states also have produced action plans to achieve their individual goals. As 2020 is almost here, not all countries seems likely to achieve their targets, while some others have surpassed them already. New targets have also been set for 2030 corresponding to an overall target of 32% share of renewables. The road to the targets differs greatly between different member states, especially regarding the use of bioenergy and waste-to-energy. The frameworks are also changing; with the wider introduction of the concept of circular economy, where the bioeconomy and defining the role of waste-to-energy are some of the challenges. The presentation will deal with the overall situation on renewable energy in EU with a focus on bioenergy and waste-to-energy and how that has been applied in selected countries.