Renewable Energy Consumption in the European Union: Are Nordic Countries in the Lead?

The energy transition of the European Union is inherently linked to the development of renewable energy consumption. Previous studies addressing the development of renewable energy sources in European Union member states have most often applied a single method of country classification, which may determine the stability and interpretation of the obtained rankings. This study aims to classify European Union member states according to the level of renewable energy consumption and to compare selected total ordering methods to identify the approach that provides the most consistent classification results. The analysis is based on Eurostat data covering the period 2015–2022. Four alternative analytical procedures commonly used in multidimensional comparative analyses were applied: the Hellwig method, the technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) method, the standardised sums method (SSW), and the zero unitarisation method (MUZ). Although the methods differ in their methodological foundations, the resulting rankings remain largely consistent. Nordic countries consistently occupy the highest positions in all rankings and form a distinct group characterised by the highest level of renewable energy consumption. The contribution of this study to the literature results from the comparative analysis of selected total ordering methods used to classify European Union member states in terms of renewable energy consumption development.