Renewable energy alternatives in Central and Eastern European countries – through the example of Hungary

Abstract

The European Union can be considered as the leader of the struggle for a new energy economy, in particular in the field of alternative energies and climate policy. The EU legislative and support framework for the promotion of the use of renewable energy has undergone significant development over the last few years. The feasibility and sustainability of the goals also lie in the productivity of the smaller territorial units and countries of the Union, thus, each country must find the development trends appropriate to their local circumstances, which must be materialized in sustainable investments. In the Central and Eastern European region (Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Slovakia, Slovenia), which has similar characteristics (historical, cultural, geographical regarding renewable energy forms), the renewable energy market is clearly underdeveloped compared to Western European countries. As a result, there are considerably more opportunities to develop green projects in the future. In our present examinations, we look at the directions of renewable energy development projects, which are already in process and are expected to accelerate in the future, through the example of Hungary.