Abstract The generation of RES electricity in urban areas is regarded as a key element in achieving the 20% emission reduction target by 2020, in line with the strategy adopted by the European Union (EU). To understand the actual role of renewable energy planning in cities, as well as the adequacy of the strategies adopted, the authors considered statistics officially reported by the Joint Research Centre of the EU which regard the totality of submitted SEAPs and ten Sustainable Energy Action Plans (SEAPs) as sample cities. The double survey has a dual goal: one, the collection of overall statistics to have a general framework of all cities that submitted their SEAPs and to verify their inclusion of renewables, and two, the analysis of urban planning processes and climatic features through a sample of representative cities to try to determine direct connections between the implementation of renewables and real source potentials (an aspect not present in the JRC reports). Making comparisons between SEAPs submitted by European cities, the authors report in the final discussion the merits and drawbacks of the planning and usage of renewable sources in urban areas, thereby highlighting some relevant critical points and possible directions for future research efforts.