Indicators:

• Total Installed Offshore Wind Power Capacity (Semi-Annually) The use of wind power within the EU is a useful emissions indicator in that a greater use of renewable energy resources facilitates a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, a lessened dependency on fossil fuel markets and the diversification of energy supplies. Two reports are produced a year by Wind Europe that detail the wind capacity installed each 6 months in the EU, as well as the EU’s total installed offshore wind power capacity. The link that can be used to find this data is: https://windeurope.org/intelligence-platform/statistics/. As of July 2021, the total installed offshore wind power capacity in the EU was 26 GW.

 

• Total Solar Power Capacity- Similar to wind power capacity, solar power capacity within the EU is important in that it will also allow for a lessened reliance on fossil fuels for energy. Two reports are published each year by the organization EMBER in which the EU’s total solar power capacity is measured. The link where these reports can be found is: https://ember-climate.org/research/. As of the January 2022, the EU’s total solar power capacity was 158 GW.

• Air Emissions for Greenhouse Gases Due to Economic Activity (Quarterly)- Air emissions for greenhouse gases in the EU due to economic activity is measured quarterly and can be found at Eurostat’s website. According to Eurostat’s website, itreports greenhouse gases emissions into the atmosphere that are the result of economic activities of resident units (businesses, families and government). The greenhouse gases measured are carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O) and fluorinated gases, and they are measured in thousand tonnes of CO₂ As of September 2021 (Q3), the EU produced 881238.425 thousand tonnes of CO₂ equivalent. Air emissions for greenhouse gases due to economic activity is a useful indicator, as it shows whether or not the EU has successfully been utilizing a greater amount of renewable energy, which would result in less air emissions.

Performance Indicator	Baseline Value	Date
Total Installed Offshore Wind Power Capacity	26 GW	July 2021
Total Solar Power Capacity	158 GW	January 2022
Total Air Emissions for Greenhouse Gases Due to Economic Activity	881238.425 thousand tonnes of CO2 equivalent	Q3 of 2021

This Post was submitted by Climate Scorecard European Union Country Manager Brittany Demogenes