Overall effectiveness of the subsidy policy applied by the EU in the area of renewable energy in the first decade of the 21st century was assessed. The case study involved three renewable energy sources who received the subsidies. The detailed analysis of economic efficiency presented here was built on real cash flows data and holistic assessment of the externalities. The applied criteria of financial efficiency were as follows: the simple payback period, rate of return and net present value. Based on the results of the last given criterion the newly proposed indicator of effective subsidy policy was constructed. Its contribution lies in the fact that it allows to formulate recommendations regarding the effective management of subsidies to the maximum possible extent in the case of a limited amount of resources. In addition, this indicator assesses the effectiveness of the subsidy policy of projects of this kind more accurately than methods used so far. Finally, it is recommended rather to prevent failures of the market, in order to completely abolish the subsidies.