1.                  INDICATOR  

(a)                Name:  Share of consumption of renewable energy resources.  

(b)               Brief Definition: The percentage of a country’s total energy consumption supplied from renewables and waste.  

(c)                Unit of Measurement:  %  

(d)               Placement in the CSD Indicator Set:  Economic/Consumption and Production Patterns/ Energy Use.  

2.         POLICY RELEVANCE  

(a)                Purpose:  This indicator measures the proportion of energy mix between renewable and non-renewable energy resources.  

(b)               Relevance to Sustainable/Unsustainable Development (theme/sub-theme):  Chapter 4 of Agenda 21 calls for an improvement of efficiency in the use of energy sources and for a transition towards the environmentally friendly use of renewable resources.  Energy is a key aspect of consumption and production.  Dependence on non-renewable resources can be regarded as unsustainable in the long term.  Renewable resources, on the other hand, can supply energy continuously under sustainable management practices and their use in general create less environmental pressure.  The ratio of non-renewable to renewable energy resources represents a measure of a country's sustainability.  

(c)                International Conventions and Agreements:  None.  

(d)               International Targets/Recommended Standards:  None.  

(e)                Linkages to Other Indicators:  Interpretation of this indicator is enhanced when combined with annual energy production, annual energy consumption per capita, and lifetime of proven energy reserves.  It is also closely linked to some of the environmental indicators such as greenhouse gas emissions.  

2.                  METHODOLOGICAL DESCRIPTION  

(a)                Underlying Definitions and Concepts: The elements comprising this indicator are renewable resources, non‑renewable resources, and consumption.  Renewable resources refer to energy collected from current ambient energy flows or from substances derived from them.  This definition includes primary electricity derived from geothermal, hydro, nuclear, solar, tide, wind and wave power, and biofuels, such as fuelwood, bagasse, charcoal, animal and vegetal wastes, and other (industrial and municipal) wastes.  Non-renewable resources refer to fossil fuels: solids, liquids and gases.  Consumption refers to "apparent consumption".  

(b)               Measurement Methods: This indicator is computed by calculating the ratio of consumption of energy from renewable resources over total energy consumption.  Apparent consumption is calculated by the following formula: Primary production + Imports – Exports – Bunkers +/- stock changes.  

(c)                Limitations of the Indicator:  Due to the large variety of forms of renewables and their uses, data collection is difficult.  Comparability of national data is limited due to the lack of standardized methodologies.  

(d)               Alternative Definitions/Indicators:  None.  

4.         ASSESSMENT OF DATA  

(a)                Data Needed to Compile the Indicator: Consumption of energy from renewable resources; total energy consumption.  

(b)               National and International Data Availability and Sources:  National data and estimates on renewable resources are available from national statistical offices and country publications for many countries.  The United Nations Statistics Division, and the International Energy Agency of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development compile data and estimates based on information from national and international sources.  

(c)                Data References:  United Nations: Energy Statistics Yearbook and Energy Balances and Electricity Profiles; International Energy Agency: Energy Balances of OECD Countries, Energy Balances of Non-OECD Countries; World Energy Council: Survey of Energy Resources.  

5.         AGENCIES INVOLVED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE INDICATOR  

(a)                Lead Agency:  The lead agency is the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Statistics Division.   

(b)               Other Contributing Organizations: The agencies involved in the development of this indicator are the World Energy Council (WEC), the International Energy Agency of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD/IAE), Eurostat, and the Economic Commission for Europe.  

(c)                Data References: World Energy Council: Survey of Energy Resources. United Nations: Energy Statistics Yearbook.  

6.         REFERENCES  

(a)                Readings:  See 5(c)  

(b)               Internet Site:  United Nations Statistics Division: http://www.un.org/Depts/unsd