Strategic Choices for Sustainability at EU Regional Level - The Sustainability of Renewable Energy in Europe - page 94

used and there are plans to use biomass to a greater extent. The 62.2 % objective in
heat consumptions is based on the use of biomass (55.9 %), RES from heat pumps
(6.2 %), and biogas (0.1 %). Policy measures to increase RES in the transport sector
are smaller; the Swedish government has decided to add that only 5 % of ethanol to
gasoline, in contrast to many other countries who came to 10 %.

The United Kingdom The UK NREAP expects to reach the RES target of 15 % by
31 % in electricity consumption, 12 % in heat consumption, and 10.3 % in transport
consumption. The RES electricity scenario to 2020 is based mainly on wind. Pro-
jections for RES heating and cooling refer to biomass (7 %), RES from heat pumps
(4.4 %), biogas (0.6 %), and solar thermal (0.1 %). The 10.3 % RES in transport
consumption will be achieved by biodiesel (2462 ktoe), bioethanol (1743 ktoe), and
RES electricity (267 ktoe).

4.2 RES Targets: Where Are We Going?

Each technology has its own characteristics with advantages and disadvantages.
To ensure a reliable supply of electricity, there should be a balanced mix of differ-
ent technologies. First, there are needed plants that ensure energy band, but it is
necessary to have also flexible systems, capable of storing excess energy produced
by wind turbines and photovoltaic panels, to use it during peak consumption. To
generate energy, EU countries are resorting to different sources, depending on the
primary energy reserves available in the area or on the basis of certain political
principles.

4.2.1 Solar Thermal in EU Countries

The solar thermal sector is consolidating in the EU with consistent growth rates and
encouraging results. Although the development of the sector in recent years in the
EU has scored good results, there is a little slowdown due to the current financial
crisis that also involves the solar thermal sector whose investment costs are still
quite high. Therefore, the surface of solar thermal panels installed in the EU in
2012 amounts to 3,395,420 m 2 , a slight decrease of 5.5 % compared to 2011 with
3,591,580 m 2 . The situation is positive in some EU countries: the French market
was able to fight through the development in the field of condominiums. The solar
thermal market is growing in Greece, Poland, Hungary, and Denmark, as a result of
rising energy prices (gas and heating oil). In particular, Poland remains one of the
countries in which the solar heat gains market shares: the country has become the
third largest market in the EU European exceeding the threshold of 300,000 m 2 . The
reasons for the growth are the strong increase in the price of gas from Russia and the
success of the incentive program funded by the National Fund for Environmental
Protection and Water Management.