Directive 2001/77/EC is a
European Union Directive
A directive is a legal act of the European Union that requires member states to achieve a particular result without dictating the means of achieving that result. Directives first have to be enacted into national law by member states before thei ...
for promoting
renewable energy use in
electricity generation
Electricity generation is the process of generating electric power from sources of primary energy. For utilities in the electric power industry, it is the stage prior to its delivery ( transmission, distribution, etc.) to end users or its s ...
. It is popularly known as the RES Directive.
The directive, which took effect in October 2001, sets national indicative targets for renewable energy production from individual member states. As the name implies, the EU does not strictly enforce these targets. However, The
European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body ...
monitors the progress of the
member states of the European Union – and will, if necessary, propose mandatory targets for those who miss their goals.
These objectives contribute toward achieving the overall indicative EU targets, which are listed in the white paper on renewable sources of energy. Regulators want a 12% share of gross renewable
domestic energy consumption
Domestic energy consumption is the total amount of energy used in a house for household work. The amount of energy used per household varies widely depending on the standard of living of the country, the climate, and the age and type of residence. ...
by 2010 and a 20% share by 2020.
The directive was superseded by
Directive 2009/28/EC, published on 23 April 2009.
National targets
The following table lists the indicative targets for each of the 15 original member states, and for comparison the share of renewable electricity in 1997 as well.
See also
*
Energy policy of the European Union
External links
Text of the directive"Renewable energy: the promotion of electricity from renewable energy sources" – from the official “Summaries of EU legislation” website
{{Energy in Europe
2001 in law
2001 in the European Union
Energy policies and initiatives of the European Union
European Union directives
Renewable energy policy