Energy security and renewable energy deployment in the EU: Liaisons Dangereuses or Virtuous Circle?

Abstract

A large body of literature estimates the effect of energy security drivers on renewable energy deployment using import dependence as a proxy for energy security, which is an approach that ignores the potential effect of other energy security strategies, such as the diversification of energy sources. Using panel data for the energy sector across 21 EU member States, we investigate the effect of different energy security concepts on the development of renewable energies. We compare the results of applying different energy security indicators, including the ones used in EU energy policymaking. Unlike previous studies, this study reports a long-term relationship between energy security and renewable deployment. Our findings suggest that the relationship between energy security policies and Renewable Energy Sources (RES) deployment is far from straightforward and depends on the chosen energy security strategy, which is usually linked to different energy security conceptualizations. Our primary findings confirm (i) that RES deployment is a consequence of a combination of energy security strategies including environmental concerns rather than being solely caused by a shift towards more sustainable energy policies; and (ii) that among the different energy security strategies, the diversification of energy sources through renewable energy deployment is a more coherent strategy than using RES to reduce dependency.