Energy resources

Energy is derived from a variety of sources. In the EU it is mainly obtained by burning fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, and petroleum), which makes up 56 percent of the total energy production. Nuclear energy (35 percent) is also in use, as are renewable energy resources (9 percent).

In Central and Eastern Europe the burning of fossil fuels provides 80 percent of the energy produced, nuclear power 12 percent and renewable energy 8 percent.

Primary and derived energy sources
Primary energy resources come from non-renewable energy resources (fossils, solid fuels, crude oil, natural gas), renewable energy resources (hydropower, geothermal, biomass, wind and solar power) and nuclear power. The use of these resources varies from country to country across Europe, which leads to different levels of production. They all serve for primary energy production.

Primary sources can be also divided according to their impact on global warming into carbon-intensive (solid fuels, oil, gas), and low- or zero-carbon (wind, solar, biomass, hydropower, geothermal and nuclear) sources.

Derived energy sources are produced from primary energy sources by converting them into other forms of energy for end-user consumption. Examples are electricity, petroleum products and heat.