Cyprus second last for RES electricity use in EU

Cyprus ranked second from the bottom in the EU 27 for the use of renewable energy for electricity consumption in 2020 according to figures issued by Eurostat on Wednesday.

It shared this lowly spot with Hungary as renewable energy sources in both countries accounted for only 12 per cent of gross electricity consumption – one third the 37 per cent averaged by the EU.

Only Malta fared worse with 10 per cent. Two other countries – Luxembourg with 14 per cent and Czechia with 15 per cent made up the group of five with 15 per cent or less.

Top performers were Austria with 78 per cent, followed by Sweden with 75 per cent. The generation of electricity from renewable sources was also high and accounted for more than half of the electricity consumed in Denmark (65%), Portugal (58%), Croatia and Latvia (both 53%).

Overall, the EU saw the share of renewable energy for electricity increase to 37per cent from 34 per cent in 2019.

Wind and hydropower accounted for over two-thirds of the total electricity generated from renewable sources (36 per cent and 33 per cent, respectively). The remaining one-third of electricity came from solar power (14 per cent), solid biofuels (8 per cent) and other renewable sources (8 per cent).

Solar power is the fastest-growing source: in 2008, it only accounted for 1 per cent of the electricity consumed in the EU.