Photo voltaic generated 11% of EU electrical energy in 2024, overtaking coal which fell beneath 10% for the primary time, based on the European Electrical energy Evaluation revealed at the moment by assume tank Ember.
EU gasoline technology declined for the fifth yr in a row, and complete fossil technology fell to a historic low.
“Fossil fuels are dropping their grip on EU power,” mentioned Dr Chris Rosslowe, senior analyst and lead creator of the report. “At the beginning of the European Inexperienced Deal in 2019, few thought the EU’s power transition might be the place it’s at the moment; wind and photo voltaic are pushing coal to the margins and forcing gasoline into structural decline.”
The European Electrical energy Evaluation revealed at the moment by international power assume tank Ember gives the first complete overview of the EU energy system in 2024. It analyzes full-year electrical energy technology and demand information for 2024 in all EU-27 international locations to grasp the area’s progress in transitioning from fossil fuels to wash electrical energy.
Wind and photo voltaic proceed their meteoric rise within the EU
The EU energy sector is present process a deep transformation spurred on by the European Inexperienced Deal. Photo voltaic technology (11%) overtook coal (10%) for the primary time in 2024, as wind (17%) generated extra electrical energy than gasoline (16%) for the second yr in a row.
Sturdy photo voltaic progress, mixed with a restoration of hydropower, pushed the share of renewables to just about half of EU energy technology (47%). Fossil fuels generated 29% of the EU’s electrical energy in 2024. In 2019, earlier than the Inexperienced Deal, fossil fuels supplied 39% of EU electrical energy, whereas renewables supplied 34%.
Photo voltaic is rising in each EU nation and greater than half now have both no coal energy or a share beneath 5% of their energy combine. Coal has fallen from being the EU’s third-largest energy supply in 2019 to the sixth-largest in 2024, bringing the top into sight for the dirtiest fossil gasoline. EU gasoline technology additionally declined for the fifth yr in a row (-6%) regardless of a really small rebound in energy demand (+1%).
The EU is reaping the advantages of decreased fossil gasoline dependency
The surge in wind and photo voltaic technology has decreased the EU’s reliance on imported fossil fuels and its publicity to unstable costs for the reason that power disaster. Ember’s evaluation discovered that with out new wind and photo voltaic capability added during the last 5 years, the EU would have imported a further 92 billion cubic meters of fossil gasoline and 55 million tonnes of coal, costing €59 billion.
“Whereas the EU’s electrical energy transition has moved quicker than anybody anticipated within the final 5 years, additional progress can’t be taken as a right,” continued Rosslowe. “Supply must be accelerated significantly within the wind sector, which has confronted distinctive challenges and a widening supply hole. Between now and 2030, annual wind additions have to greater than double in comparison with 2024 ranges. Nonetheless, the achievements of the previous 5 years ought to instil confidence that, with continued drive and dedication, challenges could be overcome and a safer power future be achieved.”
Walburga Hemetsberger, CEO of SolarPower Europe mentioned: “This milestone is about extra than simply local weather motion; it’s a cornerstone of European power safety and industrial competitiveness. Renewables are steadily pushing fossil fuels to the margins, with photo voltaic main the best way. We now want extra flexibility to kick-in, ensuring the power system is adapting to new realities: extra storage and extra good electrification in heating, transport and industries.”
Learn extra: China put in a document capability of photo voltaic and wind in 2024 – in numbers
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