The UK is on course to spectacularly miss European renewable energy targets despite the fervent enthusiasm of green campaigners in the Westcountry, after a new pan-EU report revealed the country is lagging behind all 26 other member states.

The report – showing the UK has the biggest gap to bridge to achieve the legally binding 2020 target of sourcing 15 per cent of the country's energy from renewables – comes as Energy Minister Greg Barker confirmed the Government's decision to press ahead with a legal appeal in a bid to cut solar subsidies credited with fuelling renewable projects.

Mr Barker's announcement on the social network site Twitter has angered green campaigners – who the minister has previously compared with extremist organisation the Taliban – who say the relentless pursuit of a counter-appeal is a waste of taxpayers' money at a time when effort should be spent addressing the EU renewables targets.

Merlin Hyman, chief executive of West energy agency RegenSW, said: "We have a long way to catch up, and this growth is not helped by the lack of clarity on the feed-in tariff. The target is a challenge, but it is achievable.

"It is right that the incentives (FiT) are kept under review and reduced. The problem is the way it has been done."

Friends of the Earth's (FoE) head of campaigns, Andrew Pendleton, added: "Trying to appeal the High Court's ruling is an expensive waste of taxpayers' money – the court says the Government has no realistic chance of winning, and it will prolong uncertainty among solar companies just when they need reassurance."

The South West has long been considered a leader in renewable energy, with multi-million-pound projects including Wave Hub off the coast of Hayle, and the Geothermal engineering scheme near Redruth.

Cornwall's unrivalled solar radiation levels have made it ripe for harnessing the power of the sun, spawning a glut of various-sized solar farm projects.

But the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) appeared to pull the rug from under the feet of solar developers in the West last spring, after announcing its intentions to slash the FiT subsidy. It meant many schemes, including the Kernow Solar Park near Newquay, were put on hold or ditched altogether.

Yet the latest European Commission statistics, revealed as part of the EurObserv'ER project, show the UK is languishing in the European renewable energy league.

It has the biggest gap to bridge to reach the 2020 target and needs to increase its energy share from renewables by 11.7 per cent.

The report marks the latest in a series of blows for the Government, which ended 2011 with a double broadside over its "panicked changes" to the tariff, as well as its legally flawed case for hastily bringing forward a range of measures which would severely stunt the solar industry in the UK.

The Government was told at the High Court two weeks ago it would not be able to challenge the ruling that it had acted unlawfully as it stood little chance of overturning the decision, brought about by legal action from FoE and solar companies.

The court ruled such an appeal would waste taxpayers' money, but Mr Barker has now confirmed it will counter-appeal that decision.

Professor Stephen Frankel, of the Wadebridge Renewable Energy Network in North Cornwall, said: "These developments are all a bit of a muddle, but are simply skirmishes in a wider debate.

"Change will come, but there will be a lot more muddles like this one before then."