Renewable energy - a key element in achieving a sustainable development for the European Union

Abstract

Sustainable development (SD) represents a growth approach that tries to maintain a social, economic and environmental balance. SD aims to meet the needs of the present without compromising the needs of future generations. For a sustainable development, a key element is represented by renewable energy (RE). The use of RE on an increasingly large scale brings with it a series of advantages and positively influences aspects such as resource conservation, air and water quality improvement, climate change, greenhouse gas emissions, etc. Realization of RE through different ways such as wind energy, solar power, hydropower, etc. and by combining them, European citizens can take an important step in realizing a more sustainable and renewable energy future. The article presents a data mining analysis on the use of RE in EU countries, taking into account the share of industry use such as heating and cooling, transport and electricity. The results of the analysis aim to identify countries that show a similar behavior from the point of view of the use of RE. Based on them, policies and strategies at the EU level can be founded.

Keywords: renewable energy, sustainable development, European Union, data mining