Sustainable development and renewable energy: European Union Swot analysis

Economies set goals such as improvement, growth and development and follow road maps in line with these goals, but the steps taken to achieve this can have negative consequences. After the World War II, focusing on development without regard to the limited nature of resources, and the consequences that have taken place, have reached such dimensions as to threaten the life of mankind. With the realization that development alone will not be enough, the process of turning to innovative and environmentally sensitive solutions has begun, and new concepts such as sustainable development and renewable energy are born. The European Union, one of the most important markets in the world, uses classical energy sources and most of its energy needs are met by imports. This situation has negative consequences such as foreign exchange loss and foreign dependency. For this reason, the European Union has set targets for renewable energy sources in recent years. Renewable energy sources are one of the fundamental steps that must be taken towards sustainable development by providing a supply-demand balance and saving member countries from external dependency and playing an important role in coping with environmental problems such as global warming. This study examines the status of renewable energy sources in the European Union and explores the contribution they make to sustainable development.In the first part of the three-part study, the conceptual framework of sustainable development was established, historical development and the indicators developed in this area were examined. In the second part, general definitions of renewable energy sources have been made and the capacities and developments in the global scale have been examined. In addition, the relationship between renewable energy and sustainable development has been analyzed.In the third part of the study, the European Union was assessed in terms of renewable energy resources and finally SWOT analysis of the current situation and potential in renewable energy has been made.