Analysing the development of renewable energy sources in European countries

Abstract

This article investigates different types of electricity generation in European countries. The authors examined the trends of renewable electricity generation in Northern, Southern, Western and Eastern Europe. A cluster analysis was performed based on the factors that may predetermine the possibility of using different types of electricity generation: the level of economic development, the amount of air pollutant emissions and the level of energy reserves. Multiple discriminant analysis was used to test the hypothesis that each cluster is characterised by a specific direction. The dependent variable was the country's membership in the clusters, and the independent variables were the types of electricity generation used by the countries: thermal power generation (oil refinery products, gas, coal), nuclear power, hydropower, wind power, solar power, and bioenergy.