Assessment of the Energy Security of EU Countries in Light of the Expansion of Renewable Energy Sources

Abstract

In response to disturbances in the European energy market due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Europe had to strengthen its strategic resilience and reduce reliance on Russian gas imports by conserving energy, producing clean energy, and diversifying energy sources. A crucial aspect of this effort is assessing energy security, which serves as an indicator summarizing various aspects of energy development. This study evaluates the energy system’s ability to continuously, economically, and environmentally safely meet consumer needs in 28 European economies. This research employs non-linear (piecewise linear) normalization and the multiplicative convolution method, analyzing data from 2000 to 2021. Critical components of energy security examined include the resource supply, resource availability, consumption, compensability, efficiency, safety, and innovativeness. The findings indicate that most EU countries have sufficient-to-moderate levels of energy security. The histogram depicting the distribution of the energy security index and its components reveals that the innovation aspect within a country’s energy security framework has the lowest scores. This indicates insufficient innovation activity in developing and implementing new technologies and modern energy transportation and consumption methods. Consequently, the study highlights the inadequate effectiveness of current energy transition measures and offers recommendations for European policymakers based on these findings.

Keywords

• green energy
• energy security
• energy consumption
• greenhouse gas emissions
• carbon intensity