Abstract
The primary aim of this study was to assess and compare EU countries in terms of the use of renewable energy sources in road transport. The following research tasks were undertaken to realize this aim: (1) a review of the literature concerning the negative externalities in road transport, the concept of sustainable development, and legal regulations referring to the utilization of renewable energy sources; (2) presentation of changes in energy consumption (both traditional and renewable) in road transport in EU countries in the years 2008–2019; and (3) identification of leaders among the EU countries in terms of consumption of renewable energy sources in road transport. The aim and tasks were realized using the literature review and TOPSIS method as well as descriptive, tabular, and graphic methods. The analysis was conducted for 28 EU countries according to the status for 2019. The period of 2008–2019 was investigated. Sources of materials included literature on the subject and Eurostat data. Although renewable energy sources accounted for as little as 6% of total energy consumption in road transport in EU countries in 2019, this is a significant topical issue. It results from the direction in which changes need to be implemented in terms of energy generation in this area of human activity. It turned out that blended biodiesel and blended biogasoline were the most commonly used fuels originating from renewable sources. The application of the TOPSIS method resulted in the identification of five groups of EU member countries, which differed in terms of the degree of utilization of renewable energy sources in road transport. Luxemburg, Sweden, and Austria were leaders in this respect. In turn, Malta, Estonia, and Croatia were characterized by very low consumption of renewable energy. The greatest progress in the utilization of renewable energy sources in road transport was recorded in Sweden, Finland, and Bulgaria (changes in the relative closeness to the ideal solution from 0.15 to 0.27), while the greatest reduction in relation to other countries was observed in Austria, Germany, and Lithuania (changes from −0.35 to −0.22).
Highlights
The road transport sector is one of the most dynamically developing sectors of the economy in Europe but worldwide [1]
The following research tasks were undertaken to realize this objective: (1) a review of the literature concerning the negative externalities in road transport, the concept of sustainable development, and legal regulations referring to the utilization of renewable energy sources; (2) presentation of changes in energy consumption in road transport in the EU countries in the years 2008–2019; and (3) identification of leaders among the EU
The utilization of renewable energy sources is one of the main environmental objecutilization of renewable energy sources one of the main environmental objectivesThe realized by individual
Summary
The road transport sector is one of the most dynamically developing sectors of the economy in Europe but worldwide [1]. One of the solutions proposed in this respect is to increase the consumption of renewable energy sources such as blended biodiesel and blended biogasoline. The utilization of renewable energy sources in road transport has been analyzed by many researchers. The consumption of renewable energy sources in road transport in Germany, Scandinavian countries, or Poland was discussed, e.g., by Meisel et al (2020) [2], Hansen et al (2019) [3], Lindfeldt et al (2010) [4], Åkerman and Höjer (2006) [5], Bebkiewicz et al (2020) [6], and Wołek et al (2021) [7]. Due to the numerous regulations adopted in recent years to increase the use of renewable energy sources in EU countries, it is necessary to see which countries have made the most progress in this regard
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