Solar power overtook coal in Europe’s electricity mix for the first time in 2024 while gas declined for the fifth year in a row, energy think tank Ember said in a report on Thursday.
“Driven by expanding wind and solar power, renewables have risen from a share of 34 per cent in 2019 to 47 per cent in 2024,” the report said, adding that fossil share declined to a historic low of 29 per cent in 2024, from 39 per cent in 2019.
It said solar power is growing in every EU country, while coal is becoming increasingly marginal. EU’s solar power electricity generation increased by 21.7 per cent in 2024 from 2023.
Meanwhile, total EU gas consumption has fallen by 20 per cent in the past five years, with about a third of the decline occurring in the power sector.
At present, nuclear power accounts for 23.7 per cent of the EU’s electricity generation, followed by wind with 17.4, gas with 15.7, hydro with 13.2, solar with 11.1 and coal with 9.8 per cent. The rest is covered by bioenergy and other sources.
Despite progress in its green transition, energy prices in the EU remain high. In 2024, the average wholesale gas price in EU countries was nearly five times that of the United States, while industrial electricity prices were approximately 2.5 times higher, Xinhua news agency reported.
The United States is EU’s largest supplier of liquefied natural gas. According to a report released by USAFacts last September, three-quarters of US energy production comes from fossil fuels as renewable energy, nuclear power, and natural gas liquids in combination account for the remaining quarter.
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday to announce the country’s intention to withdraw from the Paris Agreement.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on her X account Tuesday that “All continents will have to deal with the growing burden of climate change. Its impact is impossible to ignore.”
“The Paris Agreement continues to be humanity’s best hope. Europe will stay the course. And we’ll keep working with all nations that want to stop global warming,” she said.
