Abstract
The relationship between the use of renewable energy sources and other characteristics of national economies has frequently been
investigated, and a wide range of approaches can be observed in publications. The aim of this study to examine the potential
relationship between the ratio of renewable consumption in gross energy consumption, GDP per capita, and R&D expenditures in
European Union countries. Data are analyzed in their original forms, and a mathematical model is presented that is suitable to
analyze the effect of change in the input data further. A positive relationship is determined between R&D expenditure and
renewable energy consumption at various levels of GDP. The results indicate that the impact of GDP is positive at a higher level
of R&D expenditure, but the effect is not unambiguous at a lower level of R&D expenditure.