The share of solar energy in the general production of electricity in the European Union (EU) in 2024 for the first time exceeded the share of coal.
According to the report “European Evaluation of Electricity”, prepared by the Ember International Analytical Center in London, the EU Electrine power sector undergoes a deep transformation as part of a “European green transaction.”
So, the share of solar energy in the general production of electricity in the EU reached 11 percent last year, while the share of coal first dropped below 10 percent.
At the same time, the share of wind energy in the production of electricity was 17 percent, and the share of natural gas – 16 percent. Due to the significant growth of solar energy and the restoration of hydropower, 47 percent of electricity in the EU in 2024 was obtained at the expense of renewable sources. The total share of fossil fuel in the production of electricity was 29 percent. The rest of the production of electricity was provided at the expense of other sources, including atomic energy.
Prior to the adoption of a green transaction in the EU, the share of fossil fuel in the production of electricity in 2019 was 39 percent, and the share of renewable sources – 34 percent.
Solar energy is growing in all EU countries
According to the report, in half of the EU countries, coal is not used in the production of electricity today or less than 5 percent is used, while the growth of solar generation is observed in all EU countries. In 2019, coal was the third largest source of electricity production in the EU.
The production of natural gas electricity in the EU also continues to decline the fifth year in a row.
According to Ember, over the past five years, the EU has saved $ 59 billion on imports of fossil fuel due to new wind and solar capacities.
Senior Analyst Ember and the main author of the report, Chris Ruslow, said that, thanks to the solar and wind energy, the EU significantly reduced the production of electricity from coal, and the use of gas went into a structural decrease.
“The process of transformation of electric power in the EU has been advanced faster than expected in the past five years, but further progress cannot be considered granted. It is necessary to accelerate the supply, in particular in the sector of the wind energy, which is faced with unique problems and growing deficiency in supplies. 2030 annual additional installations of wind energy should increase more than half compared to the level of 2024, ”he said.
Ruslow noted that the successes achieved over the past five years should instill confidence in the future.