An industry report suggests that renewable energy made up almost 90 per cent of all new electricity generation in the European Union (EU) in 2016.
The data, which comes from WindEurope, suggests that of the 24.5GW of new power capacity generated across the EU last year, 21.1GW (86 per cent) came from renewable sources such as solar, wind and biomass.
For the first time, windfarms reportedly produced more than half of the EU’s total capacity installed.
Germany installed the most new wind capacity throughout the year, accounting for 44 per cent (5.4GW) of a 12.5GW EU total, followed by France (1.6GW) and the Netherlands (0.9GW). The UK contributed 0.7GW in comparison.
Giles Dickson, chief executive of WindEurope, has warned that energy policy across the EU is growing increasingly vague.
He said: “Government policy on energy across Europe is less clear and ambitious than it was a few years ago. Only seven out of 28 EU Member States have targets and policies in place for renewables beyond 2020”.
In recent weeks, a report published by the European Commission (EC) ranked the UK 24thout of 28 nations in terms of its renewable energy consumption, provoking widespread criticism from industry bodies.