A National Renewable Energy Action Plan (NREAP) is a detailed report submitted by countries outlining commitments and initiatives to develop renewable energy that all member states of the European Union were obliged to notify to the European Commission by 30 June 2010.[1] The plan provides a detailed road map of how the member state expects to reach its legally binding 2020 target for the share of renewable energy in their total energy consumption, as required by article 4 of the Renewable Energy Directive 2009/28/EC. In the plan, the member state sets out sectoral targets, the technology mix they expect to use, the trajectory they will follow, and the measures and reforms they will undertake to overcome the barriers to developing renewable energy.[2]
Each NREAP report provides details of the expected share of energy provided by renewable sources up to and including 2020. The overall target for EU countries is to use 20% of their energy use from renewable energy sources although targets for each country vary considerably. In addition targets are broken down further by energy use sector including transport, electricity and the heating and cooling sectors.