RES accounted for over 35% of total heating energy in 2020

Renewable energy accounted for 37.1 per cent of the total energy used for heating and cooling in Cyprus in 2020 – the ninth highest rate in the EU and up from 19.97 per cent in 2011, according to figures published by Eurostat on Friday.

It said that in the EU overall the average was 23 per cent, steadily increasing from 17.45 per cent in 2011 and 22 per cent in 2019.

This level and growth are similar to the one observed for the overall share of renewables, which increased from 10 per cent in 2004 to 22 per cent in 2020. Developments in the industrial sector, services and households (including the electrification of heating by using heat pumps) contributed to the growth of renewable energy in heating and cooling.

Among the Member States, Sweden stands out with two thirds (66 per cent) of the energy used for heating and cooling in 2020 stemming from renewable sources (mostly biomass and heat pumps).

Estonia and Finland (both 58 per cent), Latvia (57 per cent), Denmark (51 per cent) and Lithuania (50 per cent) followed suit, with more than half of the energy used for those purposes coming from renewables. In Estonia and Lithuania, the share of renewables in heating and cooling is, respectively, 29 and 24 percentage points higher than their overall share. This is the highest difference among all EU countries. Iceland (EFTA country) stands out with 80 per cent of renewables used for heating and cooling (mostly due to geothermal energy).

In contrast, in Ireland (6 per cent), the Netherlands and Belgium (both 8 per cent) renewable sources contributed the least to heating and cooling. In these countries, the share of renewables in heating and cooling is lower by 6 and 5 percentage points, respectively, than their overall share. This is the highest difference among all EU countries.

Renewable energy sources used for heating and cooling include solar thermal, geothermal energy, ambient heat captured by heat pumps, solid, liquid and gaseous biofuels and the renewable part of waste.