Renewables account for 86% of new EU power capacity

Renewables accounted for 86% of new electricity generation capacity installed in the EU in 2016, according to a new estimate from the European Environment Agency on Monday.

This compares to a worldwide figure of 62%, and the EU is now “global leader” in per capita renewable power capacity, the EEA said in a report.

The EU is on track to meet its 2020 target of 20% renewables in overall energy consumption, with the agency estimating a total of 16.9% last year, 0.2 percentage points up on the European Commission’s most recent figure for 2015.