The rate of clean energy transition across the EU needs to significantly increase if countries are to meet their climate commitments, according to a report by energy think tank Ember. By 2025, annual additions to wind and solar capacity will have to double to align with a 1.5°C “compatible pathway”, the report said, totalling 76 gigawatts (GW) by 2026. However, current estimates only see the EU adding 36GW – less than half of what is needed. Further, only four of the 27 countries in the EU are currently on track to meet the required wind capacity for 2030, while the EU as a whole is not on track to reach the required rates of solar deployment. The window to address this shortfall is closing, Ember warned, noting that it can take up to ten years to obtain permits for a wind project. EU legislation states that the granting of permits for renewable projects should not exceed two years, but current rates for onshore wind project permits averages up to five times more than that across 18 countries and up to three times longer across nine countries for solar project permits. Pierre Tardieu, WindEurope’s Chief Policy Officer, said: “Europe is only building half the wind capacity it needs to deliver on its energy security and climate targets. With tough winters ahead, speeding up the deployment of home-grown energy is not optional. It’s indispensable.”
NEW | The EU must double the pace of wind and solar rollout for 1.5C.
EU countries will have to deploy much faster than planned in order to ditch Russian fossil fuels and deliver on climate commitments.https://t.co/ZoesXefHqZ pic.twitter.com/4YmeRekyyg
— Ember (@EmberClimate) July 27, 2022
