Increasing the use of electrical non-combustible and combustible renewables: the effects on air pollution in Europe

The paper aims to investigate the impact of electrical non-combustible and combustible renewables on the reduction of greenhouse gases (GHG) and emissions such as nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulphur oxides (SOx) and suspended particulate matter (PM 2.5). The disaggregated environmental effect of renewables was estimated by means of panel data for 28 European Union countries from 1995 to 2015. The results confirm that for each environmental indicator, the increasing share of electricity generated from renewable sources shows a negative elasticity. The disaggregation between combustible and non-combustible renewables demonstrates differential effects: non-combustible renewables have higher environmental elasticities than those associated with combustible ones. The results remain robust when other potential determinants of emissions are considered. The analysis reveals that expanding non-combustible electrical renewables is an effective policy tool for contrasting air pollution, while enhancing energy independence in Europe can be achieved by increasing the share of electricity generated from renewable, non-combustible sources.