UK, Ireland and France lagging on EU renewable targets

Each Member State has its own 2020 renewable energy share target, weighted according to each country's differing starting points, renewable energy potential and economic performance.

The statistics show that in 2014 the UK was eight percentage points away from achieving its target of renewables contributing 15 per cent to its total energy mix.

In contrast, some countries have already cruised past their targets. For example in Sweden, which has a 2020 target for sourcing 49 per cent of energy from renewables, renewable energy already accounted for 52.6 per cent of the total energy mix in 2014. Meanwhile, Croatia's target for 2020 is 20 per cent, but by 2014 the total contribution of renewables already surpassed this, hitting 27.9 per cent.