Definition: renewable energy is measured as the share of energy consumption from renewable sources in gross final energy consumption, as defined in the European Directive 2009/28/EC on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources (Official Journal of the European Union, 5/6/2009). Gross final energy consumption is the energy consumed by all final consumers, including losses on the transport network and the consumption of the energy sector itself. The data come from Eurostat.

Goal: the share of renewable energy must reach 17.5% by 2030.

The Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs adopted by the UN in 2015 include target 7.2: “By 2030, increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.”

The Federal Long-Term Strategic Vision for Sustainable Development contains objective 16: “The low-carbon forms of energy will predominate in the energy mix. Renewable energy sources will be a significant part of it"(Belgian Official Gazette, 08/10/2013).

In the European Directive 2018/2001 on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources (Official Journal of the European Union), the European Union (EU) sets a goal for 2030, namely a 32% share of renewable energy. The European Regulation 2018/1999 on the Governance of the Energy Union and Climate Action (Official Journal of the European Union) requires all EU Member States to prepare a National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) for the period 2021-2030. In response to this European obligation, Belgium’s NECP for 2021-2030 sets a goal of 17.5% renewable energy in gross final energy consumption by 2030 (Concere/CNC, 2019). This plan must be updated every ten years, the first update being due in June 2024.

International comparison: when comparing Belgium with the European Union in 2021, it appears that the share of renewable energy in gross final energy consumption is higher in the EU27 than in Belgium, namely 22% compared to 13%. The gap is stable over the whole period considered. When Member States are divided into three groups, Belgium is part of the group with the poorest performance in 2021. In that year, Sweden ranked first with 63% and Luxemburg last with 12%.

UN indicator: the selected indicator corresponds to indicator 7.2.1 - Renewable energy share in the total final energy consumption.

Sources

• General

  • SDGs, Sustainable Development Goals: United Nations (2015), Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 25 September 2015, document A/RES/70/1.

  • Indicators: United Nations (2017), Work of the Statistical Commission pertaining to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 6 July 2017, document A/RES/71/313.

  • UN Sustainable Development: https://sdgs.un.org/ (consulted on 18/01/2023).

  • UN Sustainable Development Goal indicators website: https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/ (consulted on 18/01/2023).

• Specific

  • Belgian Official Gazette: http://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/cgi/welcome.pl; research on http://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/doc/rech_f.htm (consulted on 24/09/2020).

  • Concere/CNC (2019), National Energy and Climate Plan, https://www.nationalenergyclimateplan.be/en (consulted on 14/10/2021).

  • Official Journal of the European Union: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/oj/direct-access.html?locale=nen (consulted on 24/09/2020).

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